Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs pays 2.3788 trillion won in basic public interest direct payments this year

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 12th that it will pay 2.3788 trillion won in basic public interest direct payments this year.

The paid area was 1,032,000 ha (hectare, 1 ha is 10,000 m2), a decrease of 13,000 ha from last year, and the payment amount decreased by 5.5 billion won.

The number of cases eligible for payment was 1.296 million, an increase of 11,000 from last year. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained that this is a result that reflects the impact of system improvements, such as increasing the non-agricultural comprehensive income standard, which is a condition for restricting direct payment payments, from the existing 37 million won to 47 million won.

Small farmer direct payments amounting to KRW 706.1 billion will be paid to 544,000 farmers, and area direct payments amounting to KRW 1.6727 trillion will be paid to 752,000 farmers and corporations.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to provide payment funds to local governments by the 13th and make payments sequentially from the middle of this month to the end of December after going through a confirmation process for each local government.

An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, "We will strive to ensure that the public interest direct payment system can substantially contribute to stabilizing the income of farmers and improving the public interest functions of agriculture and rural areas."