Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to Improve Organic Farming Materials Support System in 2026
Strengthening Support Focused on Eco-Friendly Certified Farms
Encouraging Transition to Eco-Friendly Certification for Farms Using Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides
The government has announced plans to accelerate the transition of farms to eco-friendly practices by giving priority support for organic farming materials to environmentally friendly farmers.
On November 13, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated that it will improve the organic farming materials support system in 2026 to enhance the effectiveness of the support project and strengthen the foundation for eco-friendly agriculture.
The main points of the revised system include: ▲ strengthening substantial support for farms certified as eco-friendly ▲ encouraging conventional farms to switch to eco-friendly certification ▲ pre-selection of reserve project participants ▲ expanding the list of green manure seed support items.
First, substantial support for organic farming materials for eco-friendly certified farms will be strengthened. A ministry official explained, "Since 2022, the scope of the organic farming materials support project has expanded from eco-friendly farmers to include conventional farmers. As a result, there have been concerns in the field that support for eco-friendly farmers has effectively decreased. Through the collection of opinions on system improvement, we have established a basis for giving priority and focused support to eco-friendly certified farms." The ministry plans to prioritize the increased budget for supporting stable farming activities of farms that consistently practice eco-friendly agriculture.
The government will also encourage conventional farms (those using chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides) that have received organic farming materials support for more than three years to transition to eco-friendly practices. To this end, a new requirement has been introduced for these conventional farms to complete mandatory eco-friendly agriculture education and submit a certification transition plan. However, to prevent confusion at the field level due to these changes, the government will thoroughly consult with relevant organizations and gather farmers' opinions, aiming for full implementation starting in 2029.
To improve the efficiency of project execution, a pre-selection system for reserve project participants (up to 10%) will be introduced by each local government. This system allows for the sequential supply of organic farming materials to pre-selected reserve participants in cases where an initially selected participant, such as an eco-friendly farmer, gives up project support due to changes in farming conditions, such as retirement due to old age. The ministry expects this system will enhance project effectiveness and enable the budget to be executed more efficiently and promptly.
The scope and items eligible for support for 'green manure crops'-grasses planted to enrich the soil-will also be expanded. The support for 'Sudangrass,' previously limited to ginseng farms, will be extended to all farms, and 'oats' will be newly added as a supported item.
Lim Youngjo, Director of the Eco-friendly Agriculture Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "Through this system improvement, we will establish a support system centered on certified farms and promote the transition of general farms to eco-friendly practices. We will continue to faithfully reflect field opinions to ensure that farmers can truly feel the benefits of our support."
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