Premier Lai Ching-te on Thursday said that a Council of Agriculture (COA) subsidy plan offering "green payments" to encourage changes in the agriculture industry is major component of the government's new agriculture promotion project, and will help stabilize agricultural incomes and promote green farming practices. The remarks came following a presentation by the COA on the policy's measures and outlook at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet.
In addition to encouraging appropriate use of farmland, the program furnishes increased payments for the cultivation of targeted products and a two-track approach of price guarantees and direct subsidies for rice. The plan also calls for cumulative cash incentives to reward producers for planting high-quality rice and other grains as well as adopting organic and other environmentally friendly farming methods.
The COA indicated that the new program complements a number of associated initiatives, including the Small Landlords, Big Tenants plan to draw young people into farming; government-supported agricultural production and marketing groups for rice farmers; education for consumers on nutrition, food safety and farming practices together with the promotion of a farm-to-table philosophy; a program to encourage collective farming and higher agricultural efficiency; incentives to boost organic farming and environmentally friendly agriculture; and the "grand breadbasket" plan to promote operational changes in the agriculture industry and decrease Taiwan's reliance of grain imports.