Government Eases Regulations for Cafes and Wholesale Sellers in Agricultural Areas

The government will allow the establishment of cafes in agricultural promotion areas and significantly ease the requirements for wholesale sellers in online markets. This move aims to expand the rural population and enhance market access for small-scale farmers.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on May 18 that it has finalized 50 regulatory reform tasks during the third strategy meeting on agricultural and food regulation reform, chaired by Minister Song Mi-ryung. The meeting included 20 participants from the food industry and private experts who discussed urgent and impactful reform measures.
To promote energy transition and balanced development in rural areas, the government will relax regulations on floating solar panel installations. The area requirements for these installations on reservoirs and freshwater lakes will also be eased. Additionally, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the government plans to apply separate taxation to leased reservoirs and farmland designated for the creation of 'Sunshine Income Villages,' thereby reducing property tax burdens and exempting them from comprehensive real estate tax.
To encourage the revitalization of rural communities and increase the rural population, the government will permit the establishment of cafes that utilize agricultural products directly produced by farmers and agricultural corporations. This initiative is expected to generate additional income through agritourism.
The government also plans to accelerate regulatory reforms aimed at improving agricultural product distribution structures and fostering future industries. To facilitate small-scale farmers' participation in online wholesale transactions, the government will allow sellers to join online wholesale markets regardless of their sales volume. Furthermore, the system will be improved to maintain organic certification in cases of unintentional pesticide residue detection.
The criteria for farmers to receive direct payments will also be relaxed. Currently, farmers with annual non-farm income exceeding 37 million to 43 million won are excluded from receiving area-based direct payments. The new plan will allow the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to adjust these criteria through official announcements. Additionally, the interim settlement amount for public reserve rice will be increased from 40,000 won to 60,000 won per 40 kg bag.
Other initiatives include improving redundant regulations on food origin labeling for delivery services, expanding support for income stabilization costs related to highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI), and broadening the scope of agricultural product gift certificates.
Minister Song stated, "Regulatory reform in agriculture and food is fundamentally about changing unreasonable and absurd regulations that do not keep pace with the field. We will not only reduce the number of regulations but also boldly improve those that are unreasonable and absurd."