The National Assembly Legislation and Research Service has identified the "stagnation of eco-friendly agriculture" as a key inspection task for the Agricultural, Forestry, Fisheries, and Food Committee in this round of national audit. This is because, despite the government having been promoting agricultural policies for over 30 years, there has been a clear regression with both the area of eco-friendly certification and the number of farms decreasing.
Over the past five years, the government has poured 112.9 billion won into the sector, yet the scale of eco-friendly agriculture has actually shrunk. According to data submitted by Representative Eogigu from the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Dangjin, Chungnam) to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, the number of eco-friendly certified farms decreased from 59,249 in 2020 to 48,668 in 2024, a reduction of 17.9%. The certified area also shrank from 81,826 hectares to 68,165 hectares over the same period, remaining at 4.5% of the total farmland area. This is less than half of the 10% target set by the government in the "Fifth Five-Year Plan for Promoting Eco-Friendly Agriculture."
The Legislation and Research Service attributes the stagnation of eco-friendly agriculture to weakened economic viability and the disconnect between the system and the field. The average income of eco-friendly farming households remains at 70% of conventional farming households, and the recovery of consumption has been delayed due to COVID-19. The termination of the government's "Support Program for Eco-Friendly Agricultural Products for Pregnant Women" has also weakened the demand base.
Additionally, with the strengthening of public interest tax credit verification, there have been increasing cases of tenant farmers being disadvantaged. There are instances where landlords are requesting tenant farmers to cancel their eco-friendly certification to meet the "8-year self-regulation requirement" for capital gains tax reduction, leading to instability in the production base.
In response, the National Assembly has shown signs of system improvement. Representative Kim Seon-gyo from the People Power Party (representing Yeoju and Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi) has proposed a "revision of the Agricultural Land Act" that includes giving priority to organic and pesticide-free certified farmers in the leasing business of the Agricultural Land Bank, and allowing eco-friendly farmers to lease or use land for free.
Representative Lee Won-taek from the Democratic Party (representing Gunsan, Kimje, and Buan, Jeonbuk) has also proposed a "revision of the Agricultural Land Act" that would allow farmers certified for organic food or pesticide-free products to lease land and use it for free. This aims to alleviate the farming constraints caused by current rental restrictions and promote eco-friendly agriculture.