Gov`t to set a plan to support retunees to farming, rural areas

Public support to people returning to farming and rural areas, which were provided independently by the central government and provincial governments, will be implemented under a comprehensive plan at the national level. The Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Ministry, and the Oceans and Fisheries Ministry said on Sunday that they will implement the "act on galvanization and assistance of people returning to farming and rural areas" in order to systematically support return to farming and rural areas.

The number of households that returned to farming and rural areas increased from 1,240 in 2005 to 44,692 last year, which translates into a more than 36-fold increase over a 10-year period. However, assistance to households that return to farming or fishing areas have been provided independently by related ministries concerned or provincial governments, without a comprehensive plan in place at the national level. As part of efforts to improve the situation, drafting of a comprehensive plan became obligatory.

The government will set a comprehensive plan to support households that are returning to farming, fishing and rural areas every five years from now. Provincial governments are required to set assistance plans every year in line with the comprehensive plan. In other words, while the central government draws a "big picture" at the national level, provincial governments draw a "detailed picture" and provide general assistance to people who return to farming and fishing areas. Prior to establishing a comprehensive plan, a survey on the situation of households that return to farming and fishing areas will be conducted. After conducting the survey early next year, the government will set a comprehensive countermeasure plan on return to farming and fishing, and rural areas by the end of next year.

The government also set up legal ground to provide special assistance to those who failed in early days after their return to farming. If one cannot continue farming or fishing business due to natural disasters within three years after their move to farming and fishing areas, the government is set to provide preferential assistance, including funds to help them launch start-ups. The government has prepared legal ground for assistances so that the central government or provincial governments would provide to households that return to farming and fishing areas.

The government has also decided to enable people who return to farming to set up communities on their own. The measure is taken to help those people establish communities, rather than returning to farming all alone, and push for related business together, in order to reduce the number of failed cases of return to farming and fishing areas. The Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Ministry said, “We hope that the implementation of the act will help spawn economic effect stemming from people’s return to farming and fishing areas across the country.”

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