Namegata City Rice Farming Management Sustainability Support Subsidy

(1) Overview: The Namegata City Rice Farming Management Sustainability Support Subsidy is a municipal program operated by Namegata City's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Division. It aims to promote rice cultivation by supporting work efficiency, low-cost production and farmland conservation through the introduction of large-scale machinery and equipment, with subsidies granted within the city's budget. (2) Eligible applicants: Applicants must meet ALL of the following: be a Certified Farmer (認定農業者) or Certified Farmer Group with a residence in the city and continuing farming on city farmland; the rice planting area in the application year must be at least 3 ha on the Rice Production Implementation Plan; and city taxes must be fully paid (no arrears). (3) Eligible expenses & content: The eligible project is introduction of a color sorter (shikisai-senbetsuki) for rice grading. Recipients must keep or expand management/contracted-work area for 5 years afterward, and aim for a Grade-1 rice ratio of 90% or higher for 5 years from the next crop year. No reapplication is allowed for 5 years after receiving the subsidy, and an annual implementation status report must be submitted for 5 years post-completion. (4) Rate, cap, schedule & key points: The subsidy rate is up to one-third (1/3) of eligible expenses excluding consumption tax, rounded down to the nearest thousand yen, capped at JPY 1,000,000. Applicants MUST obtain quotations from at least three different vendors and purchase from the lowest bidder. Required documents: business plan (Form 1), income & expenditure budget (Form 2), three or more quotations, product catalog, and documentation verifying management/contracted area. Contact the Agriculture Promotion Group at the Kitaura Office for the application schedule.