Page 22 - 2019 Annual Report Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

Cultivation: Strolling through the fields Unit Two: Enhancing Farmers’Welfare
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Fuel subsidies for farmers and fishermen.
(5) Stabilizing supply and demand for fertilizers
To accelerate the expansion of eco-friendly farming, the COA provided total subsidies of NT$315 million to encourage farmers to use 629,000 metric tons of compound fertilizer containing organic materials such as peat, with the goal of replacing traditional chemical fertilizers and reducing the volume of chemical fertilizers used. In addition, we provided NT$23 million to subsidize the costs of transporting 46,000 metric tons of fertilizer to Taitung and Hualien counties and offshore islands, in order to protect the right of farmers in remote areas to have access to fertilizer and ensure that the end-user fertilizer costs for farmers tended to be uniform. Moreover, the COA guided 21 farmers’ organizations (including the Taichung Farmers’ Association and the Ming Ching Agricultural Production, Transport, and Marketing Collective) to safely warehouse 30,683 metric tons of chemical fertilizer, in order to stabilize fertilizer supply during seasonal fluctuations in demand and ensure that farmers can get access to fertilizers.
(6) Subsidies for large and small agricultural machinery
To coordinate with agricultural development and meet the needs of agriculture, the COA
Storage of fertilizer helps stabilize supply during seasonal fluctuations in demand.
has guided farmers to purchase 87,195 pieces of small agricultural machinery including power cultivators, grass mowers, and small agricultural transporters. The goal is to promote mechanization of production and increase production efficiency. In addition, in order to help compensate for the rural labor shortage and assist farmers to harvest crops during flood season, the COA subsidized the purchase of 773 large agricultural machines including shared-use tractors and combine harvesters. The aim was to assist farmers to raise efficiency and increase incomes, while encouraging the replacement of old and obsolete agricultural machinery.