President Ma Ying-jeou reiterated on the morning of August 2 that the government will, without fail, adopt effective measures to foster development of the agricultural sector and strengthen the function of farmers' associations so as to provide farmers with the assistance they require. The president made the remarks in response to public concern regarding the issue of staple foods and agricultural output.
Meeting with chairmen of all levels of farmers' associations from throughout the ROC, the president offered praise and thanks to the visitors for leading the efforts of their colleagues to provide services to farmers, and for working in conjunction with the government to implement a host of agricultural policies.
President Ma noted that Taiwan presently is home to 302 farmers' associations. This system is enormous, he said, adding that the agricultural authorities in a number of countries have expressed a keen interest in the wide network of farmers' associations here and have even researched the function of these organizations and their role as a bridge between the government and farmers. In addition, farmers' associations provide a range of services to farmers, including the transport and sale of agricultural products, the extension of agricultural financing, education, and provision of social services. The president furthermore noted that the farming community has long been extremely supportive of the services that the associations offer.
President Ma stated that over the past couple of years Taiwan's agricultural sector has been deeply impacted by the flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Morakot in parts of southern and eastern Taiwan in August 2009. Thanks to the joint efforts of the government and farmers, however, the worst of the problems have gradually been overcome. For instance, work has been undertaken to improve the environment for grouper fish farms and to strengthen public grain purchases, both of which are concrete measures implemented by the government to care for farmers, he said. The president also pointed out that recently quite a bit of attention has been given to the sharp drop in prices for bananas and mangos, as well as the large amount of unsalable fruit. After learning more about the problem, the government then introduced measures which have already significantly improved the situation, he said. In response to the annual price fluctuations and problems in selling overly abundant fruit, the president stressed that he has already asked the Council of Agriculture to bring supply and demand back into balance by taking land out of production, thereby preventing these problems from recurring. The president also said he has instructed agricultural authorities to provide necessary assistance to farmers in preparations for the planting of the second rice crop at the end of September.
Meanwhile, President Ma also remarked that elderly farmers receive stipends from the government of NT$6,000 each month. From 1995 to 2010, the government has disbursed over NT$470 billion in such stipends, significantly helping to care for 1.08 million elderly farmers. In addition, the government has also disbursed NT$12.4 billion since 2003 in scholarships for the children of farmers. Some 1.81 million people have benefited from this program, he added, pointing out that these are just some of the measures that the government has introduced to care for farmers.
President Ma mentioned that the government is aggressively promoting a number of measures to create an agricultural sector that produces healthy products, operates efficiently, and exhibits sustainable operations. The first is the Quality Agriculture Development Program. From 2009 to 2012, the government is allocating NT$24.2 billion to develop new technology to be used in genetic selection and the development of vaccines. It is hoped that this plan will increase the added value of Taiwan's agricultural products and boost the operational efficiency of the sector as a whole, he said. Secondly, the government has promoted the "Small Landlords, Big Tenant Farmers" program, he pointed out, with the goal for this year being to arrange for the lease of 7,500 hectares of land. Over 5,700 hectares of land have been leased so far, the president remarked. He furthermore explained that in the past, each farming household owned a little over one hectare of land on average, but tenant farmers now lease an average of over eight hectares per farmer, more than a seven-fold increase in farm size. Economies of scale in agriculture are gradually being achieved. Thirdly, the president mentioned a project called Rural Regeneration. This is "a bottom-up initiative that is guided by a plan, run by communities themselves, and focused on improving both systems and physical infrastructure." Besides allocating a budget of NT$150 billion for this project, the Council of Agriculture is also providing training of the talent needed, he said. The fourth measure is the signing of the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), which was implemented in September 2010. For years, Taiwan has had a fairly significant trade deficit with mainland China in agricultural products. In 2007, the agricultural trade deficit stood at US$280 million, but by 2010 the deficit had narrowed to US$130 million.
President Ma furthermore stated that tariff reductions went into effect under the ECFA on January 1 this year. Citing exports of grouper fish, the president noted that mainland Chinese tariffs on Taiwan-farmed grouper were cut to 5% from 10.5%. Combined with the convenience of direct flights between the two sides, the demand for Taiwan grouper in the first half of this year rose by a factor of 5.84. Exports of other agricultural items have also grown substantially, he said, noting that exports of the Pacific saury to the mainland have risen by a factor of 7.73, exports of turtle eggs by 40%, and exports of tea by 50%. This demonstrates the enormous benefits of the ECFA, he said, adding that Taiwan must take advantage of these opportunities in order to gradually reduce the agricultural trade deficit with the mainland.
Lastly, the president remarked that the topic of food security is an issue that has won attention the world over. Many experts and international organizations have predicted that the problem of food security will only worsen in the future. Consequently, agriculture is an industry that we absolutely must invest in, he said. Even if production costs are higher in Taiwan than elsewhere, the president said that it is crucial for us to have our own food supply, maintain stable production, and forge greater development of the agricultural sector here.
The delegation of more than 20 farmers' association chairmen was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) to meet with President Ma.