Visiting Taitung County today to gain a better understanding of traditional indigenous industries, culture, and crops, Premier Lin Chuan said he hopes the development of indigenous agriculture will help create higher added value for the region.
The premier toured local millet and red quinoa fields in Jialan Village of Jinfong Township, as well as primary processing factories to better understand the threshing, chaff removal and packaging procedures. He also sampled agricultural products and talked with local agricultural production and marketing groups.
Although there has long been an urban-rural development gap in Taiwan, leading to a population exodus from the eastern region, an advanced society should ensure that everyone has a chance to reach their potential, the premier said. So to foster a balanced economy and increase jobs in remote rural areas, the government is leveraging local characteristics to close the development gap and attract more young people to rural areas.
Indigenous peoples are a unique feature of eastern Taiwan, and the government seeks to balance the need to preserve their indigenous cultures and industries, improve their livelihoods, and build a sound local infrastructure that creates added value for the local agriculture and economy. The premier cited one example, noting that the Council of Indigenous Peoples and the Council of Agriculture are working together to create higher added value for the two indigenous traditional crops, millet and red quinoa, that he had seen that day.
As programs and policies regarding indigenous peoples require the concerted efforts of the central and local governments, the premier continued, the Taitung County Government is currently partnering with the central government and he hopes to see more cooperative projects. He also said the efforts of young, professional farmers will introduce modernized farming concepts while preserving traditional culture.
To encourage indigenous peoples to pass on tribal traditions and wisdom and build a foundation for indigenous industries, the Council of Indigenous Peoples has worked with other ministries and government agencies on an industrial pilot zone program to promote indigenous knowledge and an innovative economy. Under that pilot program, the Taitung County Government has initiated a millet zone project and hopes to revive red quinoa and millet production in Daren, Dawu, Jinfong and Taimali townships in Taitung to increase economic output and product value while attracting young people with employment opportunities in their hometown.