Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

Taipei, July 12 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian on Saturday tried to sell his administration's reform of the country's grass-roots credit cooperatives and insurance programs for farmers and fishermen in his weekly televised broadcast.

The president said the reform of the current credit cooperatives run by farmers' and fishermen's associations is aimed at strengthening the country's grass-roots credit system to prevent unnecessary losses which would be at the taxpayer's cost.

And the administration's plan to reform the insurance program for farmers and fishermen is aimed at closing the loopholes in the current system and ensuring the government's subsidy to the program is enjoyed by real farmers and fishermen, he added.

In order to get this message across, the president said, he will make a whistle stop tour to every village and rural town around the island to explain his administration's reform.

In order to woo farmers and fishermen across the island, Chen touted the contributions made by his administration to their welfare, especially a program to help fishermen develop fish farming and leisure angling in conjunction with their traditional fishing operations.