Taipei, May 26 (CNA) Vice President Annette Lu broached a plan Monday that she claimed would inject new life into Taiwan's agriculture and help the country deal with the impact of Taiwan's admission into the World Trade Organization and the recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Lu announced her plan when she presided over a seminar at the Presidential Office attended by Presidential Advisor Chen Hsi-huang, Council of Agriculture Vice Chairman Lee Chien-chuan, Taichung County Magistrate Huang Chung-sheng and Hsinchu Mayor Lin Cheng-tze, as well as various scholars and experts.
Lu said that with efforts by the whole nation, the outbreak of SARS will be contained, although the virus might not be rooted out altogether and people will have to learn to live with it. She said the disease has had a tremendous impact on everyday life, the ecology and production, which is why she came up with the idea of a campaign to give new life to Taiwan's agriculture.
Lu said that she envisions a "new farm village, new farmers, new agriculture and new farming associations" under the plan that would upgrade the quality of agricultural products, establish brand names, emphasize marketing and keep abreast of the demands of consumers.
The substantial measures will involve the holding of seminars to discuss agricultural development strategies in major agricultural areas and promote the establishment of strategic alliances among major agricultural products, she said.
The measures will also include the establishment of factories to process agriculture products in northern, central and southern Taiwan; the promotion of Taiwan's excellent agricultural products; and the establishment of marketing networks so that the world can learn more about Taiwan through the consumption of its fruit and vegetables.
Lu also said that the plan will also involve the development of an "international farm of cooperation," adding that she has discussed this several times with the heads of states of Republic of China allies, who she said have expressed willingness to provide land and funds to the project that would encourage young people to become members of the "international farm of cooperation."