The government's Productivity 4.0 project aims to introduce innovative technologies and high-value agricultural processing to help farmers grow better quality food products, which will not only boost domestic consumption but also enhance export competitiveness, Premier Mao Chi-kuo said today.
After being briefed by the Council of Agriculture (COA) on the agricultural portion of the Productivity 4.0 project, the premier advised the council to think about developing cross-industry alliances and innovative marketing models in addition to integrating value chains within the agricultural industry itself. This will transform the industrial structure and turn the small-scale farming economy to one dominated by internationally competitive agribusinesses. And as new products and technologies become more widely available, they will trickle down the value chain to drive a new agricultural economy, he said.
According to the COA, the main strategies of the agricultural Productivity 4.0 project are:
․Forming smart agriculture alliances to develop intelligent production technologies and applications.
․Forging digital agri-services and value chain integration and application models.
․Using friendly interactive technologies to create new communication models between producers and consumers.
These three strategies aim to transform 10 target industries with a view to boosting Taiwan's economy and strengthening its competitiveness. The 10 industries, registering a total output of NT$247.4 billion (US$7.54 billion), consist of butterfly orchids, seedlings, mushrooms, agricultural facilities, aquaculture, domestic fowl, rice crops, traceable agricultural products, fresh milk and seafood products.