Promoting standardized, modular greenhouses will speed up post-typhoon reconstruction and help increase agricultural produce supplies, Premier Lin Chuan said today following a briefing by the Council of Agriculture (COA) on measures to improve agricultural facilities.
Many greenhouses damaged in last year's typhoons required much time and manpower to rebuild, and reconstruction efforts were hampered by a shortage of building materials. The idea of a modular greenhouse design, proposed by Executive Yuan Minister without Portfolio Wu Hong-mo and promoted by the COA, will hopefully resolve the problem and shorten reconstruction time, the premier said.
After coming up with concrete methods and plans, Premier Lin said, the COA should promote a standardized, modular design and measure its effectiveness against the following objectives:
1. The initiative will be deemed effective if it results in faster post-typhoon reconstruction efforts in the future.
2. With a shorter reconstruction period, costs should be lower as well. The COA should check for improvements in the time required and costs associated with the new designs.
3. The COA should expand the greenhouse initiative to more areas. This will help develop professional farmers while stabilizing post-typhoon produce supplies.
According to the COA, the damage to agricultural facilities by a series of typhoons last year led to large fluctuations in produce prices. To protect and stabilize future crop supplies, beginning this year the COA will subsidize the construction of 400 hectares of reinforced greenhouses and net houses each year. Subsidies will be raised from one-third to one-half of the construction costs, with each hectare to receive up to NT$5.5 million (US$173,282).
This subsidy program will also be promoted in tandem with other measures including agricultural food safety policies (traceability and organic certification), technical consultation and assistance, agricultural facility insurance, construction of modular facilities, training of specialized builders, agricultural financing and corporate participation. The goal is to build 2,000 hectares of greenhouses in five years.
To encourage farmers to invest in agricultural facilities, the COA has teamed up with the Ministry of Labor, Ministry of the Interior, and Public Construction Commission to address the shortage of construction workers, streamline the construction permit process, and promote modular greenhouses. The COA will also work with local governments and the private sector on this five-year initiative to promote group farming and encourage corporate investment.