The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Minister Song Mi-ryeong, hereinafter referred to as the Ministry of Agriculture and Food) announced that it will provide disaster relief funds of 43.6 billion KRW in December for approximately 49,000 hectares nationwide that were confirmed to be damaged by rice blast disease over the past two months.
Rice blast disease is a fungal disease that causes dark brown spots on leaves and ears, leading to a decline in rice quality. This year, it spread nationwide due to abnormal high temperatures and frequent rainfall around the rice heading period (mid-August).
In response, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food recognized rice blast disease as an agricultural disaster and conducted on-site damage investigations from October 15 to December 5. The investigation confirmed damage in 49,305 hectares (34,145 farms) nationwide, including 20,899 hectares in Jeonnam and 17,028 hectares in Jeonbuk.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food plans to provide disaster relief funds such as pesticide costs, replanting costs, and living expenses to the affected farms. Depending on the damage rate, it will also support the postponement of agricultural policy fund repayments, interest reductions, and disaster management funds. Minister Song Mi-ryeong stated that they will promptly provide disaster relief funds to stabilize the management of affected farms and will cooperate with the Rural Development Administration to strengthen monitoring and control to prevent large-scale damage like this rice blast disease from recurring.