Page 4 - 2017-COA-annual-report

Agriculture is the foundation of national development, the daily lives of citizens, and ecological conservation. Agricultural
development involves not just production and marketing, but also such aspects as food security, rural employment,
social stability, sustainability of resources, and environmental conservation. Every country needs agriculture, and
every country places importance on agriculture. Moving with the changing times, the role of agriculture has also been
redefined, but its multiple values in the economy, in society, and in the environment are still irreplaceable.
The year 2017 marked the launch of a new government, and it was also a year of abundant results for the agricultural sector.
Compared to 2016, 2017 saw a more favorable climate, less natural disasters, and therefore a greater production volume. It was
a bumper harvest year. Although early in 2017 Taiwan suffered a blow from an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, the
government soon adopted multiple effective epidemic prevention measures which successfully halted the spread of the disease.
In terms of the promotion of “New Agriculture,” over this past year, thanks to the wholehearted cooperation and efforts
of all our colleagues at the Council of Agriculture (COA), whether it was in terms of giving shape to agricultural models,
establishment of safety systems, or development of sales channels, in all these areas there were preliminary successes and
quite a number of breakthrough developments. We also made structural and systemic adjustments. Of these, several of the
most important are as follows:
Expanding “direct payments on farmland” and the Big Granary Project, stabilizing the supply of staple foods
To induce farmers to produce premium quality rice, in conformance with World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations,
the COA transformed the “guaranteed price purchasing” and “fallow land subsidies” systems into “direct payments
on farmland.” We matched this with the concept of “cumulative payments,” to promote measures such as incentives
for certain crops or cultivation systems, or subsidies for eco-friendly cultivation. We launched a “two-track” system (with
farmers given the choice between “direct payments on farmland” and “guaranteed price purchasing”) in the second
crop season of 2016, expanded trial implementation to 20 townships in the first crop season of 2017, and expanded trial
implementation to 50 townships in the second crop season of 2017. The proportion of farmland reported as receiving
direct payments as a percentage of the total area farmed with rice in areas with the two-track system in place rose from 39%
to 51%, indicating preliminary reduction of farmers’ dependence on the guaranteed price purchasing system. This has also
been helpful to (a) adjusting the structure of the rice industry, (b) encouraging farmers to move towards producing import-
substitution, main-point development, and eco-friendly-cultivation crops, and (c) stabilizing the supply of staple food.
Taiwan’s self-sufficiency rate for mixed staple crops (MSCs) such as wheat, feed corn, and soybeans is low, and we mainly
rely on imports for these. The COA has promoted the Big Granary Project to increase production of MSCs. In 2017
we increased the land area cultivated with MSCs by 6,266 hectares; established eight post-harvest handling centers;
guided collective production zones in 34 places; established 36 MSC contracting operators; mediated enterprises to
purchase domestically produced MSCs and raw materials for oils, increasing farmers’ end-user sales channels; guided
the development of domestically produced MSC processed goods, thereby increasing consumption choices for citizens;
and rebuilt the MSC industrial chain. In these ways we raised the self-sufficiency rate for domestically produced MSCs.
Strengthening guidance of farmers and completing an inventory of farmland resources,
building a favorable environment for practicing agriculture
The COA pro-actively trains young farmers, by encouraging high school students to engage in agriculture,
offering publicly-funded courses to university students, promoting farm internships, selecting the “Top
100 Young Farmers,” and guiding local young farmers. In 2017 we provided training to nearly 3,400
young farmers, giving them specialized technology or techniques coupled with consultations and also
marketing guidance, and also provided preferential treatment in capital loans and land acquisition, to
advance their farming capabilities. Starting in 2018 the COA will pro-actively assist genuine tillers of the
land to join the farmers’ insurance program and will make plans for Occupational Injury and Disease
Insurance for farmers, so that farming will have even more protections.
To make up for the shortage of labor in agriculture, in 2017 the COA formed 37 custom
farming teams, recruited 842 agricultural personnel, and provided service to farms a total
of 4,145 farm-times, totaling 71,217 working days. In 2018 we will introduce mechanized
cultivation teams with farm machinery and automated equipment. We anticipate that
this will create much greater capabilities to make up for the shortage of labor than in
2017.
To ensure food security and gain a firm grasp of the situation with regard to the
use of, and the area of, farmland, at the end of September of 2017 the COA
completed and publicly announced the results of a national inventory of farmland
and other agricultural resources. Through participation and oversight by citizens,
we strengthened control mechanisms over farmland use in the nation. Following
this, we will coordinate with the delineation of agricultural development zones in
the National Land Use Planning Act, and guide the investment of greater resources
into high-quality agricultural production areas, while accelerating manpower and
structural adjustments.