(Muan=Yonhap News) Reporter Hyung Min-woo = The South Jeolla Province's decision to increase the fishermen and farmers' welfare allowance while reducing the rice management safety fund has led to opposition from farmer organizations. The Jeolla Province Federation of the National Federation of Farmers' Associations, Jeolla Province Branch of the Rice Association, and the Jeolla Province Federation of the National Women Farmers' Association held a rally in front of the South Jeolla Provincial Assembly on the 9th, demanding the resignation of Jeolla Governor Kim Young-rok. They argued, "Don't mock farmers by reducing the rice management safety fund and increasing the farmers' allowance," and "The agricultural budget should be newly expanded to increase the number of recipients and the amount of the allowance." They further emphasized, "The rice management safety fund was established as a solution for stabilizing the income of rice farmers facing difficulties due to rising production costs and to ensure stable rice production as a staple food," and "Reducing the rice management safety fund under the pretext of basic income or farmers' allowance is a policy that mocks farmers by removing the lower stone to break the upper one." This controversy began when the South Jeolla Provincial Assembly reviewed the third supplementary budget proposal of the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Committee on the 18th of last month and requested an increase in the fishermen and farmers' welfare allowance. The South Jeolla Province had a negative stance on increasing the fishermen and farmers' welfare allowance due to poor financial conditions, but ultimately decided to secure 89 billion won by reducing other budgets, setting the fishermen and farmers' welfare allowance budget at 624 billion won. Meanwhile, the rice management safety fund, which was to be operated at a scale of 570 billion won, including 228 billion won in provincial funds and 342 billion won in municipal funds, was reduced by half to 285 billion won. The rice management safety fund provided up to 600,000 to 1,200,000 won in direct payment form to rice-growing farmers in South Jeolla Province, with a maximum limit of 2 hectares. The South Jeolla Province stated in a press release that the decision was an inevitable one, considering the changed agricultural environment, including the government's strengthened rice price stabilization system, expanded support for fishermen and farmers' welfare allowance, improvement of rice supply and price recovery, increased financial burden on cities and counties, and the introduction of basic income for farmers and fishermen. The province explained that the revision of the Grain Management Act established a basis for the government's mandatory purchase in case of rice price drops or overproduction, and the enactment of the Essential Agricultural Materials Act established a system for the government and local governments to support the increase in prices of essential agricultural materials such as fertilizers and feed.