Page 21 - 2019 Annual Report Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

4. Looking Out for the Well-Being of the Rural Population
(1) The welfare allowance for elderly farmers
To ensure the quality of life of elderly farmers, the government has been issuing a welfare allowance to elderly farmers aged 65 and over who meet the legal requirements to participate. Since January 1 of 2016, the COA has issued NT$7,256 per person per month; total payments in 2019 reached NT$51.527 billion, benefiting a total of 620,912 elderly farmers. We amended the "Application and Approval Regulations of Elder Farmers’ Welfare Allowance" to set standards for recognition of the three types of deductions from land value added to the "Provisional Act Governing the Welfare Allowance for Elderly Farmers," including deductions for (i) lands that have been set aside as land reserved for public facilities and aren’t yet expropriated or compensated, (ii) lands reserved for indigenous peoples that have not yet been used effectively in economic terms, and (iii) existing roads related to land for public use that have been certified by the Competent Authority at the municipal, county, or city level as not being used effectively in economic terms. Also, to facilitate funerals for elderly farmers who have participated in farmers’ health insurance (FHI) for a long period of time, in cases of farmers at least 65 years old who have been participating in FHI for 25 years who are unable for some reason to apply for the FHI funeral subsidy, the COA began issuing "funeral condolence funds" of NT$102,000. In 2019 there were 177 beneficiaries of this policy, with total payments of NT$18.05 million.
In response to reform of the pension system and with respect to the planning of an economic security system for elderly farmers, the COA is looking into the possibility of building a farmers’ pension system. Such a system would be based on the welfare allowance for elderly farmers with the precondition of not adversely affecting the rights and interests of farmers, and would
Annual Report 2019 Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan
provide basic guarantees of the quality of life of elderly farmers.
(2) Educational subsidies for farmers and fishermen whose children study at high schools or colleges
In order to ensure that the children of farmers and fishermen do not, for economic reasons, miss out on the chance to get high- school and college educations in Taiwan, a program was launched in September of 2003 to provide financial support to these farmers and fishermen. In 2019 the COA increased the amounts to be given out and eliminated the academic achievement criteria, and during the year a total of over NT$1.074 billion in academic subsidies was paid out, benefiting 97,965 children of farmers and fishermen.
(3) Promoting the "demonstration program for green care for the elderly in farming and fishing communities"
In response to the aging of the population in farming and fishing communities, the COA has encouraged farmers’ and fishermen’s associations to use agricultural resources and work with local volunteer organizations to promote care for the elderly. In 2019, the COA held a competition for the "Top Ten Model of Green Care" in hopes of highlighting model green care organizations in farming and fishing communities. In 2020 we will promote the establishment of demonstration "green care stations" with the aim of improving the lives of the elderly in rural areas.
(4) Fuel subsidies for farmers and fishermen
In 2019, the purchase of 79,000 kiloliters
of fuel needed for the operation of 292,049 agricultural machines in Taiwan was exempted
from the business tax, with total savings of NT$97.34 million. Also, the COA subsidized the purchase of about 543,000 kiloliters of diesel
fuel for 6,721 fishing vessels, with subsidies totaling about NT$1.332 billion. In addition, we provided subsidies of NT$100 million for 6,195 gasoline powered fishing boats. 19