The nation is about 31 percent food self-sufficient and can last for three months in any national security threat, Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) said yesterday during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
The council hopes to elevate the figure to 40 percent by 2020 through its Great Granary Program, Lin said in response to questions from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲).
Due to changes to dietary habits, domestic supply of rice has exceeded demand, Lin said, adding that the council is working to adjust the production levels of different produce.
Under the program, the council is seeking to increase grain production by 300,000 tonnes and the production area by 30,000 hectares before 2020, while helping rice farmers grow other produce such as sweet potatoes, soybean, buckwheat and corn, he said.
Legislators on the Economics Committee raised concerns about the council’s ability to protect farmland.
The nation should have about 740,000 to 810,000 hectares of farmland to guarantee food supplies, but only 684,819 hectares are usable, council data from August showed.
New Power Party Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) asked Lin to clarify his position on Taiwan Sugar Corp’s (Taisugar) land use, considering that half of the utility’s property is quality farmland.
“Quality farmland should be reserved for agricultural use, especially that of Taisugar,” Lin said.
The council supports the Environmental Protection Administration’s proposal that development on Taisugar land larger than 1 hectare should undergo an environmental impact assessment, he added.
However, some of Taisugar’s land is in urban areas and not necessarily quality farmland, Lin said, adding that the council would respect other authorities’ decisions regarding development.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Li-shan (張麗善) criticized the council’s failure to tackle banana overproduction, as there are still 70,000 tonnes of bananas to be sold, despite the government’s purchase of 1,200 tonnes.
The production area of bananas was severely damaged by typhoons last year, but production this year has grown 20 percent, causing prices to plummet.
Lin said that the council would help farmers access information through the council’s production and marketing platform, so they would know next year’s price to adjust production.
Cabbage and dragon fruit are also likely to be overproduced in the fourth quarter, he said, adding that the council is closely observing their production.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated