Page 81 - 2018 Annual Report Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

Annual Report 2018 Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan of production-and-marketing machinery, conducted 80 in-the-fields demonstrations and extension activities for domestic MSCs, established MSC technical service teams who provided 20 in-the-fields classes on technology and safe use of pesticides, developed processed products made using domestic MSCs, organized 94 promotion and marketing activities, and did matchmaking for businesses to purchase domestic MSCs and oil-producing crops. The goal is to rebuild the domestic MSC industrial chain and promote industrial development. The Seed Improvement and Propagation Station of the COA, working in coordination with the Big Granary Project, continually produces seeds for MSCs such as int corn and sorghum. In 2018 the Station supplied a total of 62,000 kilograms (kg) of int corn seeds and 6,500 kg of sorghum seeds, as well as processed and stored 24,000 kg of soybean seeds and 256,000 kg of wheat seeds. In conformance with the COA’s policy of promoting import-substitution crops, up to 5,500 hectares of land are presently cultivated with int corn and other MSCs, which has created conditions to facilitate the production of domestic MSCs. The COA arranged financing for sorghum seeds. The COA guided construction of large scale product handling and concentration processing plants, putting quality grading into effect. Expanding the use of agricultural machinery saved labor in the fields and advanced automated farming. Special areas selling domestically produced mixed staple crops were set up at rest areas on national highways. 79