(Pyeongchang=Yonhap News) Reporter Im Bo-yeon = In order to alleviate the burden on farmers' operating costs and increase agricultural income due to international raw material supply instability and the sharp rise in agricultural material prices, Gangwon Pyeongchang County is pushing forward the "2026 Half-Price Agricultural Materials Support Project." The supported items include all consumable agricultural materials used in farming activities (fertilizers, pesticides, mulch films, etc.), but exclude agricultural machinery with post-maintenance periods, tax-exempt oil, livestock, fishery, and beekeeping-related materials, and iron small-scale farming tools. A total budget of 9.75 billion won will be invested this year, which is an increase of 1.417 billion won compared to last year. This amount includes 700 million won from the provincial budget and 9.05 billion won from the county budget, with additional county budget included to expand the support scale. The support scale is divided into eight sections based on the area of rice paddies and upland fields applied for, with support ranging from a minimum of 200,000 won to a maximum of 15 million won, which is an increase of up to 10 million won compared to last year. Pyeongchang County will accept applications from February 2 to February 20 at the town and township offices, verify the qualifications of the farmers and farmlands eligible for payment before farming activities, and notify the selection results by early March to allow the purchase of agricultural materials. Ji Young-jin, head of the Agricultural Products Distribution Division of the county, said on the 1st, "The half-price agricultural materials support project is a highly effective measure for reducing the burden on farmers' operating costs, and the satisfaction among farmers is quite high" and "We will make efforts to ensure that all farmers can benefit from this project in cooperation with the towns and townships."