Premier Mao Chi-kuo today directed the Council of Agriculture (COA) to push cutting-edge policies such as bioeconomy development and the Productivity 4.0 initiative for agriculture in the effort to raise production efficiency and spur innovative core technologies.
Agricultural trade will only become more liberalized as Taiwan seeks to integrate deeper into the regional economy through the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other international organizations, Mao said after hearing a COA report on promoting new-generation agriculture. And with the growing effects of climate change and extreme weather, Taiwan's agricultural production faces further uncertainty.
"The government will shift its focus from quantity to quality to achieve multiple objectives. Agriculture should be not only about farming but about creating healthy lifestyles, protecting the environment, keeping seniors healthy and active, as well as promoting smart production, digital services and global competitiveness. These efforts will transform the sector into a new generation of agriculture."
Mao also affirmed the COA for a range of successful initiatives. Efforts to reduce and reactivate fallow farmland, for example, generated US$18.4 billion (US$605.9 million) in benefits for agricultural-related businesses in 2014. Another project to guide young farmers helped grow their businesses by 61 percent on average. Taiwan's agricultural exports to mainland China under the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation and Framework Agreement's early harvest program have grown nearly 50 times since 2007. And, programs for improving the farming operations environment, raising farmer incomes, and encouraging young Taiwanese into agricultural careers have all brought fresh vitality and innovative thinking into the sector.
In its report, the COA said policies such as fallow land reactivation and the "small landlord, big tenant-farmers" program have increased the scale of arable farmland in Taiwan. To add greater value to agriculture, benefits and subsidies for old farmers will be adjusted while more young farmers will be trained. The council also launched the Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park, which includes the Asia-Pacific Operation Center for Aquaculture and an agricultural value-added cloud platform. Other actions to boost sector competitiveness include separating regulation systems for agricultural products, promoting product traceability and applying a three-tier quality control system.