by Kim Seong-guk

The government will purchase 400,000 metric tons of rice this year for its public stockpile. The interim payment made to farmers upon delivery will rise 50 percent — from 40,000 won ($29) to 60,000 won per 40-kilogram bag of unhulled rice. A preferential purchasing scheme for low-protein eco-friendly rice will also be piloted for the first time.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said the “2026 Public Stockpile Implementation Plan and 2027 Grain Year Government-Managed Grain Supply and Demand Plan” was approved at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

Of the 400,000 metric tons to be purchased this year, 35,000 tons will be rice flour. The total purchase volume is down 30,000 tons from last year’s 430,000 tons. Government public stockpile rice purchases have fluctuated in recent years: 450,000 tons in 2022, 400,000 tons in 2023, 450,000 tons in 2024 and 430,000 tons in 2025.

The final purchase price will be determined at year-end by converting the average farmgate rice price from October through December into an unhulled grain equivalent. Before the final price is set, farmers will receive an interim payment of 60,000 won per 40-kilogram bag of unhulled rice.

This year’s interim payment is 20,000 won, or 50 percent, higher than last year’s. The government maintained a flat rate of 30,000 won per bag from 2017 before raising it to 40,000 won in 2024, and has now raised it again to 60,000 won. The increase reflects recent farmgate rice prices and field feedback, and is intended to help farming households secure needed funds earlier in the harvest season.

The preferential purchasing scheme for low-protein eco-friendly rice will be piloted this year for the first time. The protein content of eco-friendly rice will be tested, and farmers in the top 30 percent — those with the lowest protein levels — will receive a 5 percent bonus on top of the purchase price.

The measure aims to encourage lower-protein rice production to improve overall quality, while promoting cultivation practices that use fertilizer more judiciously. Low-protein eco-friendly rice purchased by the government is to be supplied to vulnerable groups, including senior centers and free meal programs.

Variety management for public stockpile rice purchases will continue. Only two varieties designated in advance by each city and county will be eligible, and eight high-yield varieties — Hwanggeumnuri, Hopum, Saenuri, Ungwang, Jingwang, Saeilpum, Saeilmi and Hwanggeumnodeul — will be excluded.

Farmers who submit non-designated varieties for the public stockpile will face sanctions. Those households will be barred from selling rice to the public stockpile for five years starting from the following year’s purchase cycle.

Government rice stockpiles are expected to grow. Rice inventories among government-managed grains are projected to reach 710,000 tons at the end of the current grain year in late October. Factoring in public stockpile purchases, sales and the return of loaned grain, the government plans to manage inventories at around 840,000 tons by the end of the 2027 grain year.

Jeong Hye-ryeon, the ministry’s food policy director, said the government raised the interim payment this year to provide some relief to rice-farming households’ financial stability. “We plan to strengthen the high-quality rice production system by piloting the preferential purchase of low-protein rice,” she added.

Published Date: August 25, 2026