President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of November 20 with a delegation from Texas A&M University (Texas A&M). Apart from applauding the institution for its outstanding contributions to agriculture and the fight against hunger, the president also called for further strengthening of interaction and cooperation between Taiwan and the United States in the area of agriculture.
In remarks, President Ma stated that Texas A&M was founded in 1876 and is listed as one of the world's 100 leading educational institutions. One of the university's focal objectives is to help developing nations build up their agricultural sector, he said. The president remarked that in 1984 Texas A&M invited Dr. Norman Borlaug, known as the father of the green revolution, to serve as a distinguished professor, adding that Dr. Borlaug subsequently founded the Office of International Agriculture Programs, which ultimately became the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture. That organization has made enormous contributions to the fight against hunger and poverty throughout the world, said President Ma.
The president noted that the delegation was in Taiwan to attend a conference that Texas A&M co-organized in cooperation with National Chung Hsing University—the Forum on Global Ecology, Agriculture and Rural-Uplift Programs (GEAR-UP)—where participants would explore the topics of agricultural product safety certification, sustainable rural development, adoption of emerging technologies, and agricultural human resources development. He noted that the GEAR-UP forum would also push for achievement of the objectives set out in the Our Common Future report published by the UN World Commission on Environment and Development. He remarked that the delegations from Taiwan and the United States would exchange opinions during the conference, and expressed confidence that the results would serve as important reference for the government in planning agricultural policies in the future.
Commenting on food safety and certification, President Ma stated that the people of Taiwan place great importance on the safety of food and staple items. He noted that several food safety scares have occurred over the past several months and that, in an effort to respond immediately to the situation and "mobilize the entire nation in this effort," he has convened two high-level conferences on this topic. The president said that a new unit has been formed and that eight new measures would be adopted to this end. Furthermore, specific and detailed legislation would be adopted to regulate food safety issues and the recycling of waste oil, he remarked. Even more importantly, the president said, despite the fact that these problems date back to before he took office, the government would shoulder its responsibility and address the problem head on. Charges have been brought against 57 people, he said, and 19 have been detained in related scandals, with prosecutors seeking prison terms of up to 30 years in some cases.
President Ma further stated that the government has put edible oils, industrial-use oils, and feed oils under separate regulatory authorities, and has expanded the scope of regulation to cover all manufacturing processes from upstream to down. A principle of three-tier quality control has been adopted, as follows: (a) self-regulation by manufacturers; (b) mandatory third-party certification; and (c) government auditing, testing, and evaluation. In addition, he said, the government will revise and strengthen Taiwan's GMP certification system and related regulatory measures to create a comprehensive verification mechanism. President Ma stated that reforms have been started, and he hopes that related work can be completed as soon as possible. "The government is resolute in promoting these reforms and hopes to restore Taiwan's reputation as a food paradise as soon as possible," he said.
In discussing Taiwan's agriculture, President Ma explained that while Taiwan is not large and has quite limited natural resources, it places great importance on the development of the agricultural sector. Moreover, agriculture was a key focus of economic policy for many years, and Taiwan has cultivated a great deal of professional expertise in this area. Moreover, the sector continues to develop and turn out a diverse range of products. The president stated that Taiwan fully supports the intention of the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture to establish a training hub in Taiwan. He also expressed hope that Taiwan can learn from the experiences and wisdom of the institute, and that the two countries can engage in further interaction and cooperation.
The delegation was led by Dr. Elsa Murano, Interim Director of the Borlaug Institute.