Gyeonggi Province Disburses 185.8 Billion Won in Basic Public Interest Direct Payments to 123,000 Farmers and Agricultural Workers

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 24th that it has confirmed 123,391 eligible farms and agricultural workers for the 'Basic Public Interest Direct Payment System' and will disburse a total of 185.8 billion won in direct payments to 82,089 hectares of agricultural land designated for payment.

The direct payment recipients include 42,260 small-scale farms receiving 54.9 billion won and 81,131 agricultural workers receiving 130.9 billion won in area-based payments.

The 'Basic Public Interest Direct Payment System' provides small farms with agricultural land of 5,000 square meters (1,500 pyeong) or less and meeting certain requirements with an annual small-farm direct payment of 1.3 million won regardless of land area. For other agricultural workers, the payment rate per hectare decreases as the standard area increases by area bracket, with area-based direct payments ranging from 1 million to 2.05 million won per hectare.

In particular, this year's small-farm direct payment rate per farm has increased from 1.2 million won last year to 1.3 million won, with the disbursement amount increasing by 7.4 billion won compared to last year's 47.5 billion won, which is expected to significantly contribute to income stabilization for mid to small-scale agricultural workers.

A provincial official stated, "We hope that the public interest direct payments will provide some solace to farmers and agricultural workers who have been struggling with natural disasters such as high temperatures and prolonged rainy seasons due to recent climate change," and added, "The 2024 Basic Public Interest Direct Payments will be disbursed to farms through each city and county from November 25 through December, and inquiries regarding payments can be made through each city and county office (eup, myeon, and dong)."