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Two workers sort persimmons in Miaoli County. Dried persimmons are eaten as a snack or dessert and used for other culinary purposes. (Courtesy of the Tourism Bureau)
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Agriculture. ROC (Taiwan) Yearbook 2011 Ch10 agriculture

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Page 1: Agriculture. ROC (Taiwan) Yearbook 2011 Ch10 agriculture

Two workers sort persimmons in Miaoli County. Dried persimmons are eaten as a snack or dessert and used for other culinary purposes. (Courtesy of the Tourism Bureau)

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At a Glance

Although mountain ranges and forested foothills occupy over half of the land, Taiwan is uniquely blessed with a variety of climatic zones, abundant rainfall and rich soil. In combina-tion with dedicated farmers and innovative technology, the

island shines like an agricultural marvel.

Faced with international trade liberalization and growing food safety concerns, Taiwan has devoted considerable effort to restructuring the agricultural sector and rejuvenating the rural economy to maintain its competitiveness. Taiwan has also launched a series of measures, includ-ing a farm tenant program, promotion of agritourism and safe agricul-tural products, and research initiatives for development of quality goods, to secure a market niche. Farm production, once centered on land productivity, now relies increasingly on technology to enhance quality and expand markets. Information obtained through Web-based and high-end technologies has helped farmers optimize output while protecting the environment.

In 2010, through the Taipei International Flora Expo, Taiwan showed the world its advanced achievements in the flower industry while com-bining culture, technology and art to explore ecological themes and promote environmental consciousness.

• Qualityagricultureprogramlaunched

• Foodsafetysystemconsolidated

• Floricultureshinesintheglobalarena

10 Agriculture

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10Agriculture

Farmland ConsolidationA series of agricultural land reforms

beginninginthelate1940sentitledfarmerstolandownershipoverthefieldstheytilled,paving the way for successful agriculturaldevelopment.However, the resultant smallscaleoffarmoperationshas,decadeslater,become an impediment to the mechaniza-tion and modernization of farming tech-niquesthatwererequiredtoboostefficiency.

Taiwan has about 815,462 hectares offarmland, mostly on its central and south-western coastal plains, which have longbeen the backbone of agricultural activity.Halfofthesearepaddyfields.Theaveragefarmsizeis1.1hectares,withlessthan10percentoffarmsexceeding5hectares.Thedisadvantageofsmall-scaleoperationswasmagnified by Taiwan’s accession in 2002to the World Trade Organization, whenrapidmarketliberalizationledtothegrow-ingimportoffarmproductsthatweremoreprice-competitive.Asaresult,Taiwan’sag-riculturaltradedeficitexpanded,asimportsincreasedby86percentwhileexportsonlygrewby31percentbetween2001and2010.

To enhance Taiwan’s competitiveness,the government launched the Small Land-lords,BigTenantFarmers小地主大佃農 pro-graminMay2009aftertrialimplementationin10designatedsitesacrosstheisland.Thefour-year program encourages smallhold-ersandaged farmers to lease their land totenantfarmers,whothentilladjacentpiecesasasingle farm. Incentivesareofferedforthecultivationofrice,feedcornandorganiccrops.Initialresultshavebeenencouraging.ByDecember2010,over4,000hectaresoffarmland had been leased out, raising theaverageareacultivatedbyatenantfarmerto8.03hectares.

Food SafetyWhilepriceandqualityremainimpor-

tant factors guiding consumer decisions,

foodsafetyhasbecomeamajorconsider-ation as well. Production and processingtechniques used in the supply of fruitsand vegetables, livestock and fish aresubject to greater scrutiny, as their reli-abilityprovidesabasistofurtherenhancecompetitiveness in the global market. Inresponse to the changing needs of con-sumers, the government has adopted anumberoffoodsafetymeasuresoverthepasttwodecades.

Certified Agricultural Standards

The Certified Agricultural Standards(CAS) 優良農產品證明標章 were launchedin1989toimprovethequalityofagricul-turalproductsandprocessedfoods.Thesestandardscoverfacilities,qualitycontrol,hygieneandsafetyfor15foodcategoriesranging from meat and rice to eggs andfruit juice. Manufacturing facilities thathavereceivedCASaccreditationforspe-cificitemsaresubjecttoroutineandran-dom inspections. Such quality assurancehasbeenwelcomedbydomesticconsum-ersandforeignbuyersalike.Recordsfor2010showedthat330manufacturershadbeen certified to use the CAS label on6,388products,worthUS$1.42billioninthedomesticmarket.

Good Agricultural PracticesIn 1993, the GoodAgricultural Prac-

tices (GAP) 吉園圃 were introduced as aproduct-safety management system forfruitsandvegetables,requiringfarmerstouserecommendedpesticidesinareason-abledosageandtoharvestthecropwithinadefined timewithoutunwanted residueof the pesticides. GAP is based on theprincipleof stakesharing,withmember-shipopenonlytoproductionandmarket-ing groups. By 2010, 1,765 such groupsfarming a total area of 21,817 hectares

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hadreceivedGAPcertification.Cropout-putfortheyearreachedUS$303million.

Food Traceability SystemFood safety measures were further

strengthened when the Taiwan Agricul-tureandFoodTraceabilitySystem臺灣農

產品產銷履歷制度 wasactivatedin2007asaprocess-safetymanagementmechanism.Itprovidesdirectaccesstodigitalrecordsmade by participants on the cultivation,food processing, delivery and sale ofitemsthatcarryatraceabilitylabel.Con-sumerscanaccesstheserecordsatseveralsupermarkets and major sales outlets. In2010,tracecodeshadbeenissuedto1,331farmers for 141 types of agriculturalproducts, which generated sales revenueofUS$123million.

Organic FarmingIntroduced in Taiwan in the late

1980s, organic produce has becomepopular in recent years, testifying to thegrowing public awareness of its manyhealthandenvironmentalbenefits. Initialconcerns about crop pests and diseasescaused by Taiwan’s hot and humid cli-matehavegraduallybeenerasedasfarm-ers found success with organic farmingpractices that included new productiontechniques and use of disease-resistantcropstrainsdevelopedmostlybypubliclyfundedresearchteams.

Taiwan’s organic farmland increasedthreefold in thedecade following the in-troductionof basic standards for organicfarming in 1999. In February 2009, theCouncil of Agriculture (COA) 行政院農

業委員會 established an accreditation andcertification system for organic foods,includingcrop,poultryandmeats,undertheAgriculturalProductionandCertifica-tion Act 農產品生產及驗證管理法. Thirteenorganizations have been authorized to

certify organic products. By December2010,1,778farmerhouseholdsand4,034hectares of farmland had been certifiedfororganiccultivation.Two-thirdsof theorganicfarmlandwasdevotedtothecul-tivation of rice and vegetables in 2010.ThevalueoforganicharvestsfortheyearreachedUS$75.85million.

SectorsChangesinfoodconsumptionpatterns

and competition in free-market trade areamong the major factors that are trans-forming Taiwan’s agricultural structure.The focus has shifted from traditionalfarming of staple crops to production ofconsumer-orientedandhigher-valuecom-moditieschosenfortheirmarketpotentialandtechnologicaladvantage.

RiceAs dietary habits in Taiwan have

changed to include more dairy andwheat-based products, there has been agradual decline in rice consumption andproduction. In addition, rice producersareexposedtocompetitionfromimports,which, however, are currently under atariff-rate quota system. Rice still ranksasTaiwan’smostvaluablecrop,withato-talyieldofmorethan1.45milliontonnesfrom243,863hectaresof land forapro-ductionvalueofUS$1billionin2010.

To ensure future viability and boostprices, researchers are refining rice cul-tivation techniquesanddevelopinghigh-quality varieties, many of which arealready available for purchase. Qualityhas alsobeen enhancedwith thepromo-tion of CAS accreditation and the foodtraceability system as well as a gradingsystemaimedatphasingout theproduc-tion of inferior rice. The rice farmingsectorhasbeenrevitalizedwithpremiumrice competitions sponsored annually by

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thegovernment and improvedmarketingthat includes packaging rice as gifts. Ithas also benefited from a contract farm-ing program undertaken by Taiwaneseenterprises topurchaseall riceharvestedfromselectedfieldsbeforeplanting.

Fruits and VegetablesThanks to Taiwan’s climatic diver-

sity,avastarrayof fruitsandvegetablesaregrownon the island, including itemsnotnormallypartofaWesterndiet suchas bitter gourd, bamboo shoots, lychee,passion fruit, wax apple, pomelo, sandpear and starfruit. In 2010, 2.8 milliontonnesof fruit and2.7million tonnesofvegetables were harvested from 200,000

hectares and 151,600 hectares of farm-land, respectively. The export valueof fruits and vegetables each reachedUS$136million.

Over the years, fruit growers haveadjusted cultivation and marketingmethods to deal with increased com-petition from foreign imports. Thegovernment has put greater effort intopromotingpremiumfruitproducts.Mean-while, some orchards are being trans-formedintoagritourismdestinations.

TeaTea was once an important crop for

both domestic consumption and export,but its production has dropped steadily

Agricultural Production Profile

Source: Council of Agriculture

%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Crops Fishery Livestock Forestry

1970 1990 2010

57.24

44.15 44.78

13.47

28.43

20.87

24.13

26.95

34.26

5.16

0.47 0.09

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as imports have increased. Three mainvarieties of tea—oolong, green andblack—arecultivatedinTaiwan.Ofthese,the semi-fermented oolong tea is highlycompetitive in the international market,accounting for almost one-fifth of theworld’sproduction.

Although Taiwan’s cool mountainclimate makes year-round cultivationpossible, tea output has declined 13percent over the past decade to 17,468tonnes valued at US$202 million in2010. Of this amount, 11 percent wasexported, mainly to Japan, the UnitedStatesandmainlandChina.Teaimports,particularly from Vietnam, more thandoubled during this same period, risingto32,392tonnesin2010.

Tea growers have shifted their atten-tion to improvingqualityandaddressingsafety concerns in recent years. Manyhavetheirproductsauthenticatedthroughthetraceabilitysystemandacertificateofgeographical indication issuedby theIn-tellectualPropertyOffice智慧財產局undertheMinistryofEconomicAffairs.

As tea drinking is an important cul-turalpastimeinTaiwan,ownersofmanytea plantations have opened their doorsto tourists. Visitors to such plantationsreceive guided tours and learn about the

different stages of tea production whilesamplingavarietyof teabrews.Anotherefforttopromotetheindustrywasthees-tablishmentofthePinglinTeaMuseum 坪

林茶葉博物館 in 1997 in northernTaiwan.The area around Pinglin is well-knownfor its production of Baozhong 包種 tea,anaromatic,sweet-tastingbrewthatis20to30percentfermented.

FloricultureTaiwan’sclimateissuitedtogrowing

a large spectrumofflower species.Withthedevelopmentofsophisticatedcultiva-tiontechniques,floriculturehasthrivedinrecent years. In 2010, flower productiontotaled US$417 million and the industrynetted US$149 million in exports, pri-marilytoJapan,theUnitedStates,SouthKoreaandtheNetherlands.

Taiwanistheworld’slargestexporteroforchids,which represented78percentofflowerexportvalue in2010.Thebut-terfly orchid, or Phalaenopsis, alone ac-counted for 55 percent of floral export,registering a year-on-year increaseof 32percent to reach US$82 million. Mostexportsareseedlingsandoneoutofeverytwo orchid plants worldwide is grownfrom seedlings cultured in Taiwan, as

Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables in Taiwan

Taiwangrowsarichvarietyoffruitsandvegetables.Inwinter,sweetorangesandju-jubesareplentiful,asarecabbages,Chinesecabbages,onionsandbroccoli.Thehallmarkproduceofspringarestrawberriesandedamame,orvegetablesoybean.

Mangosareamongthemostpopularoftheisland’ssummerfruit,oftenenjoyedincom-binationwithshavediceandcondensedmilk.Otherfruitsplentifulduringthesummertimearepineapples,sandpears,lycheesandwaxapples.Watermelonsalsoreachtheirpeakdur-ingthesummermonths.

Inautumn,Ponkanmandarinoranges,pomelos,starfruitsandgrapesgracetablesacrossthenation.Yearround,Taiwanenjoysfreshgreensincludingchayoteshoots,spinachandChinesebroccoli,aswellasscallions,eggplantsandcarrots.Bananas,guavasandpapayascanalsobeenjoyedinanymonth.

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farmers have benefited from cooperationagreements allowing them to apply forplant variety rights in the United States,JapanandtheEuropeanUnion.

The government has committedUS$62 million to developing the TaiwanOrchid Plantation 臺灣蘭花生物科技園區, a200-hectarebiotechscienceparkinTainanCity臺南市.Since2005,theparkhashost-edtheannualTaiwanInternationalOrchidShow臺灣國際蘭展,oneofthebiggestfairsof its kind in the world. The 2010 eventfeatured exhibits from 32 countries andcreatedoutputtotalingUS$173.82million,which represented a 50-percent increasefromthepreviousyear.

The Taipei International Flora Ex-position (TIFE) 臺北國際花卉博覽會 washeldfromNovember2010toApril2011.Theworld’slargestflowerindustrytradeshow, the expo highlighted three majorconcepts—the essence of horticulture,science and environmental technology;conservation through reduction, reuseandrecycling;andablendofartandcul-tureaspartofaneco-friendly livingen-vironment.Spreadacrossanareaof91.8hectares,theTIFEfeatured14exhibitionpavilions,whichwerebuiltatfourdiffer-entsitesaroundTaipei tohouseexhibitsof 59 cities from over 30 participatingcountries during the event. In additionto showcasing the advanced nature ofTaiwan’s flower industry, the TIFE fea-tured cultural and art activities as well

as ecological themes and attracted morethan8.96millionvisitors.

LivestockLivestock farming in Taiwan has

growndramatically in recent years, andhasbecomethemainstaysofthenation’sagriculturalsectorthankstotechnicalin-novationsandanincreaseinthedemandfor animal-protein foods. In 2009, totalproduction amounted to approximatelyUS$4.3 billion, accounting for 28.5percent of Taiwan’s total agriculturalproductionvalue.Thethreemajorprod-ucts, in order of importance,werepigs,broilersandeggs.Growthintheindustryremained steady in 2009, with importsof livestock products, including meatand offal, rising to 206,351 tonnes, andexports of these products increasing to13,354tonnes.

Over the past decade, the livestockindustry has undergone restructuring toraise its global competitiveness throughstrategic business alliances, enhanceddisease surveillance and meat hygienesystems, and development of nationalbrandnames.Farmershaveworkedwiththe government to strengthen commonprocurement mechanisms for stock feedaswellastoseekalternativefeedingredi-entsandformula.

Aspartofanongoingprocess to im-provehealthandsafetystandards,experts

Taiwan Wins Gold, Royal Nod at Chelsea Flower Show

OrchidsfromTaiwanwonagoldmedalandhighpraisefromQueenElizabethIIattheChelseaFlowerShowinLondoninMay2011,thesecondtimeTaiwanhadparticipatedintheevent.Thisfollowsanoutstandingdebutperformancein2010whenTaiwanclaimedsilver.

OrganizedbytheRoyalHorticulturalSociety,the98-year-oldChelseaFlowerShowisthe United Kingdom’s premier gardening show, and perhaps the most famous gardeningeventintheworld.Morethan650floristsandhorticulturalistsworldwidetookpartinthe2011event.Taiwan’spaviliondesignthisyearwasinspiredbytheroyalweddingofPrinceWilliamandKateMiddleton.

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attheCOA’sBureauofAnimalandPlantHealth Inspection and Quarantine 動植物

防疫檢疫局 conduct regular and randominspectionsofregisteredslaughterhouses.

FisheryTaiwanproperhasover1,100kilome-

tersofcoastline.To theeast, theworld’ssecond-strongest ocean current—theKuroshio—brings abundant stocks ofmigrating fish through Taiwan’s waters,whilethecontinentalshelfonthewesterncoast providesgoodhabitats and spawn-inggroundsforawidevarietyofsealife.Over the past 60 years, the landscapeof the fishery industry has shifted fromsmall-scale coastal fisheries to mostlyaquacultureanddeep-seafisheries.

In 2010, Taiwan harvested 1.2 mil-liontonnesoffishworthUS$2.8billion.Using high-tech ultra-low-temperaturefreezing methods and transportationsystems that help maintain freshnessof the catch, deep-sea fishery made up60 percent of the production in termsof volume but 49 percent in terms ofvalue. About half of Taiwan’s seafood

production was shipped abroad in 2010,earningUS$1.5billion toaccount for37percent of total agricultural export. Big-eye tuna, yellow-fin tuna, skipjack, eel,squid and tilapia (a small, fast-growingfood fish) contributed to half of thatamount. Japan, Thailand and the UnitedStateswerethemajorexportdestinations.

Aquaculture has grown steadily overthepastseveraldecades.DuetoTaiwan’svaried climate and advances in technol-ogy, about 120 species are cultivated in46 aquacultural areas around the island.Their economic value is highlighted bythe fact that theymadeup25percentoffisheryproductionvolumebutcontributedto38percentoftheoutputvalue.Within-landoperationsaccountingfor85percentof aquacultural production in 2010, ef-fortshavebeenmadetoexpandtomarinecultureintheopenseainrecentyears.

Important aquacultural products in-clude tilapia, eel, milkfish, groupers,oysters and clams. In grouper farming,Taiwan’s artificial breeding techniqueshave aided aquaculturists to breed eightand mass-produce six of the nine spe-cies that can currently be mass-produced

Taiwan’s pavil-ion at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show featured 100 varieties of orchids mainly grown at the Taiwan Orchid Plantation in Tainan City. (CNA)

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around the world. Food and AgricultureOrganization statistics for 2008 showedTaiwan as one of the world’s top grouperproducers, enjoying a 24-percent share inglobal output volume but 64 percent inproductionvalue.In2010,7,958tonnesofgrouper valued at US$77 million was ex-ported, 71 percent more than the previousyear. Taiwan was also one of the world’slargestsuppliersoftilapia,exporting39,194tonnesvaluedatUS$74millionin2010.

Ornamental Fish FarmingTaiwan has developed advanced

techniques for breeding and transportingornamentalfishaswell.Ithasabout250ornamental fish farms—mostly in south-ern Taiwan—producing over 300 spe-cies, including medium- and high-pricedvarietiessuchasbloodyparrot,Americanand African cichlids. With improvedpackagingtechnologies,livefishcansur-vivetransportationforupto72hoursandaquaculturists are able to deliver 70 to80differentspeciesinasingleshipment.While about 34 percent of exports wereshippedto theUnitedStates in2010,or-namental fish farmers are also trying totapintotheEuropeanmarket.

AgritourismAsTaiwanmodernizesanditsfarmers

seektodiversifyandmaximizetheuseoftheir landholdings, “leisure farms” havesprung up around the island to give ur-banitesatasteoflifeinthecountry.Thesefarms offer lodging, food and a host ofactivities including fishing, craft-makingandfarmtours.

As of 2010, the COA had certified246 leisure farms while also transform-ing 67 recreational agricultural areasintotouristspots.Governmentinitiativestocreatenewfestivalsandfarmmarkets,together with private-sector efforts todevelop special tours, cuisine and agri-specialty gifts, have led to growing in-terest in agritourism. About 12 millionvisitors were estimated to have patron-ized leisure farms in 2010, pushingindustryoutputtoUS$224million.

Plansareafoot to furtherexpand thissectorthroughfacilityimprovementsandrural regeneration. The Tian Mama 田媽

媽 programhas encouraged ruralwomento start their own restaurants and shopsfeaturing foods and gifts made from lo-cal farmresources.Premiumagriculturalproductssuchasrice,bamboo,wineand

Marine Culture 6.27%

Coastal Fisheries 4.07%

Fishery Production Value in 2010

Source: Council of Agriculture

Offshore Fisheries 9.04%

Inland Culture 31.42% Deep-sea Fisheries 49.20%

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tea are being promoted with the aim ofincreasing sales to US$13.8 million by2012(see“NewInitiatives”section).

Technological InnovationsResearch and Development

Taiwan plays a leading role in agri-cultural technology development and,through its many agricultural missionsworldwide, contributes to the bettermentof life in developing nations. This wasmade possible with ongoing investmentinagriculturalresearchbyboththepublicandprivatesectors.

The COA has 16 research institutestasked with the development of innova-tive technologies in different domains:crops, livestock, fishery, forestry, animalhealthandplantprotection.Theinstituteshave made considerable contribution toTaiwan’s agricultural success over theyears through transfer of technology totheprivatesector. In2010, theyreported129 cases of agricultural technologytransfer, for which royalty payments ofaboutUS$2millionwerecollected.

These included disease-resistant va-rietiesofmuskmelonandwaxycornthatrequire less use of pesticides, as well aslycheesthatrelyonlatematuritytoobtainbetter prices after the peak season. En-ergy conservation techniques using deepoceanwatertocreateacoolenvironment

for nurturing lisianthus seedlings wereintroducedtoflowergrowers.

The COA granted 107 plant varietyrights in 2010, including 96 for flowers.About half of the new floral varietieswerePhalaenopsisortheirhybridsDori-taenopsis,whichareexpectedtobeahitinforeignmarkets.Thepublicsector,ledby theCOA’s research institutes andna-tionaluniversities, hasplayedakey rolein promoting the seedling industry, asdemonstrated by its 16-percent share ofplantvarietyrightsearnedin2010.

Meanwhile, research teams estab-lishedby theCOAareworkingon four-yearprojectslaunchedin2009todevelopnew technologies and explore potentialmarketing channels in 10 areas of theagricultural sector: floriculture, tropicalfruits, rice, plant nursery, livestock andfowl breeding, fish breeding, ornamentalfish, organic produce, animal vaccinesand optimal energy utilization with lessgreenhousegasemission.

Recognizing the private sector’s im-portant role in the development and com-mercialization of agricultural products, theCOA implemented a five-year program in2009aimedatpromotingacademia-industrycooperation in agricultural biotechnologyresearch that would eventually increasethe output value of the sector by 50 per-cent in 2013. It offers annual funding ofUS$302,600, forup to threeyears, toeachoffiveormoreprojects.

COA to be Upgraded to Ministry

TheCabinet-levelCouncilofAgricultureisthecompetentauthorityoncrop,forestry,fishery,animalhusbandryandfoodaffairsinTaiwan.Aspartofgovernmentrestructuring,theCOAwillbeupgradedtoaministryin2012.ForestryaffairsaswellastheconservationofsoilandwaterwillbemovedunderthejurisdictionofthenewlyestablishedMinistryofEnvironmentandNaturalResources.IntandemwiththeestablishmentoftheMinistryofAgriculturein2012,theCOAisscheduledtocompleteadraftAgricultureBasicAct農業基

本法thatwillserveastheoveralllegalframeworkforlawsandactspertainingtotheROC’sagriculturaldevelopment.

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Application of Information Technology

Since its launch in 2004, Taiwan’ssatellite FORMOSAT-2 福爾摩沙衛星二號

hasbeensendingbackimagesof thena-tion’s terrestrial andmarineenvironmentfor land usage analysis and agriculturalplanning, among other applications (seeChapter 9, “Science and Technology”).Thedatathuscollectedwasincorporatedinto the Taiwan Agriculture Land Infor-mationService臺灣農地資訊服務網 tohelpthe government in land planning. Thesystemhasfacilitatedthedevelopmentofprecision farmingsince itwasopened topublic access in 2006. Farmers are ableto assess farmland availability and cropsuitabilityusingthesystem’scomprehen-sive information on such factors as soilproperties, croppingsuitability, irrigationfacilities, land use zoning and feasibilityoffarmlandconsolidation.

Government projects on precisionfarming—of garlic, oranges and jujubes—arealsoconductedthroughfieldsurveysus-ingtheglobalpositioningsystemtoincreasetheaccuracyofdatacollectedforcroppro-ductionmanagementandmarketing.

Tomeetthediverseneedsofagriculturalworkers,theCOAhasestablishedamobileinformation platform that delivers timelynotifications about plant disease warningsandnaturaldisastersubsidies.Thefarmingsector has also become increasingly reli-ant on real-time access to market changesaswell as anonline service established in2009 to provide distance consultation onagriculturaltechniques.

New InitiativesQuality Agriculture Development Program

In2009,theCOAlaunchedtheQual-ity Agriculture Development Program

(QADP) 精緻農業健康卓越方案 to furtherrestructure the farming sector to meetmarket and trade demand.The four-yearprogram, which is part of a governmentplan toupgrade sixkeyemerging indus-tries,calls foran investmentofNT$24.2billion (US$732 million) aimed at threemajor objectives: to raise agriculturalsafetystandards,developkeyagriculturaltechnologiesandpromoteagritourism.

Raising Safety StandardsTaiwan’s cropmanagement system—

comprising GAP, food traceability andorganicfarming—currentlycovers3per-cent of the farmland. Under the QADP,foodsafetycertificationwillbeexpandedtocover50,000hectares,or6percentofcultivablelandby2012.

Moreover, the CAS accreditationsystem for farm products and processedfoods will be extended to milk and beefproducts. Promotional efforts aim to in-crease the market value of CAS-labeledproducts by about 25 percent to US$1.6billionin2012.

Developing Key TechnologiesBuildingonitssuccessinagricultural

technology,Taiwanisfocusingitseffortsonbiotechnological research,orchidcul-tivation,grouperfarming,ornamentalfishproduction, growth of plant seedlings,and livestock and poultry breeding. TheQADP targetsan increaseofagriculturaltechnologyoutputbyabout60percenttoUS$1billionbetween2008and2012.

To speed up the development of thesetechnologies,thePingtungAgriculturalBio-technologyPark (PABP)屏東農業生物科技園

區 is doubling its occupant capacity to 120companies.Twopublicmanufacturingfacili-tieswereopenedinJuly2010,oneofwhichwas a customized cGMP (current GoodManufacturing Practices) plant specializinginanimalvaccine.Theestablishmentofthe

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CenterforExportandResearchofAquacul-ture 水族研發出口中心 byPABPforornamen-talfishissettobecompletedinearly2012.

Promoting AgritourismViewing agritourism as a means to

maximize the competitiveness of the do-mestic agricultural industry, the QADPaims to foster further development of in-depthtoursandpremiumproductstomeetthegrowingdemandinTaiwanforhealthyliving and ecological conservation. TheQADP also targets establishment of three1,000-hectare lowland forest recreationalareas, four berthing areas for yachts andtwodemonstrationrecreationalfishingportstoincreaseavailabilityofagreaterselectionofnature-basedactivities.Italsoencouragesfarmers to tap into local resources to de-velop premium agricultural products andthemetourscenteringonhealthylifestyles,specialcuisine,educationalhands-onexpe-rienceorjustrelaxation.

Rural RegenerationTaiwan’sevolutionbeyondanagrarian-

basedeconomyhasbeenaccompaniedbya widening gap between rural and urban

development. The rural environment hasbeenundergoingaface-liftwith2010en-actmentof theRuralRegenerationAct農村再生條例,whichallows residents topro-pose community revitalization initiativesbasedonlocalcharacteristics,naturalecol-ogy and cultural resources. A budget setatUS$4.5billionhasbeenallocatedovera 10-year period for the improvement of4,000farmingandfishingvillages.

As ofApril 2011, about 64 communi-tiesaroundTaiwanhadsuccessfullycarriedout regeneration projects, re-energizinglocal industry, conserving the landscape,preservinglocalcultureandimprovingliv-ingconditions.Rural incubationprogramswerewidelywelcomed,as70,542residentsfrom 1,435 communities participated inworkshops on discovering local resourcesand upgrading agricultural practices inpreparationforfuturechallenges.

Agricultural FinanceThe agricultural finance system com-

prises theAgriculturalBankofTaiwan 全

國農業金庫,whichwasestablishedin2005,andthecreditdepartmentsoffarmers’andfishermen’sassociations.Theseinstitutions

A school of colorful koi splash at feeding time on Sing Chang Koi Farm in Yunlin County. With improved packaging techniques, ornamental fish farmers are trying to tap into the European market.

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10Agriculture

• Council of Agriculture: http://www.coa.gov.tw

• Easy Agritourism: http://ezgo.coa.gov.tw

• Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park: http://www.pabp.gov.tw

• Taiwan Orchid Plantation : http://top.tainan.gov.tw

• Safe Agricultural Industry Web Portal (Chinese only): http://agsafe.coa.gov.tw

• Taiwan Agriculture and Food Traceability System (Chinese only): http://taft.coa.gov.tw

• Taiwan Agriculture Land Information Service (Chinese only): http://talis.coa.gov.tw/asso

Related

Websites

are supervised by the COA’s Bureau ofAgriculturalFinance農業金融局,whichisalsoresponsibleforplanningagriculturalloans. For agricultural workers withoutsufficientcollateral toacquirenecessaryworking capital, theAgricultural CreditGuarantee Fund 農業信用保證基金 servestoreducerisksforfinancialinstitutions.

At the end of 2010, the balance ofdeposits at the credit departments of thefarmers’ and fishermen’s associationswas NT$1.5 trillion (US$47.41 bil-lion),while thebalanceof loans reachednearly NT$743 billion (US$23.48 bil-lion).Thenon-performingloanratiowas3.15percent.

18 Agricultural Items Tariff-free under ECFA

Aspartof theCross-StraitsEconomicCooperationFrameworkAgreement (ECFA)海峽兩岸經濟合作架構協議signedinJune2010,Taiwangrantstariffreductionson267productsimported from mainland China, while the mainland side offers tariff cuts for 539 itemsfromTaiwan,including18agriculturalandfisheriesitemsthataretariff-free.

This list of tariff-free items includes Oncidium and other orchid cut flowers, goldenneedlemushroom,bananas,oranges,lemons,Hamimelons,pitayas(firedragonfruit),tea,grouper, Pacific saury, milkfish, albacore, big-eye tuna, yellow-fin tuna and soft-shelledturtleeggs.

BeforetheECFAwassigned,theseitemsweresubjecttoanaveragetariffof13.3per-cententeringmainlandChina.OfficialstatisticsindicatethepreferentialtreatmentwillsaveTaiwanproductsUS$2.23millioninexporttariffsannually(basedon2009figures)whilehelpingtodoublethevolumeofsuchexportstothemainland.

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