ROC Taiwan 2002

ROC Yearbook 2002

Agriculture
Consistent with the ROC's accession to the World Trade Organization in January 2002, the government has revised relevant laws and regulations to soften the impact of imported foreign agricultural products on local farmers.
  1. Farmers
  2. Land
    1. Farmland Rezoning
    2. Farmland Consolidation
    3. Farmland Utilization Project
  3. Water
  4. Crops
    1. Rice
      1. Rice-field Diversion Program
      2. Rice Purchasing Program
      3. Rice Quality Improvement
    2. Vegetables
    3. Fruits
    4. Sugar Cane
    5. Tea
    6. Flowers
  5. Recreational Agriculture
    1. Agritourism
  6. Fishing Industry
    1. Aquaculture
  7. Livestock Industry
  8. Agricultural Prospects
Charts, tables, and boxes:

Agricultural development in Taiwan has been facing an increased pressure in recent years due to the rapid changes in political, economic, and social conditions both at home and abroad. The global promotion of trade liberalization has enabled a growing number of imported agricultural products to enter Taiwan, making local products less and less competitive in the market. Taiwan's admittance into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 2002 exacerbated this situation, as the ROC government further reduced tariffs on agricultural products, canceled separate customs protective measures, and eased the domestic support for agricultural development in Taiwan in accordance with WTO requirements. In 2000, Taiwan's farmers made up only 7.4 percent of the workforce, down from 8.3 percent in 1999, and produced less than 3 percent of the island's GDP. Soaring labor costs in Taiwan and greater demand by consumers for high-end agricultural products have forced Taiwan to adjust the structure of its agricultural industry and map out a new overall plan on the future use of land, water, and man power resources, as well as the development of farm villages.

Taking into account the aforementioned circumstances, the ROC government continues to formulate agricultural policies that can adjust the role and function of agriculture in Taiwan, facilitate systematic and structural reforms for its agricultural industry, and attach greater importance to environmental protection. Sustainable agricultural development in Taiwan can only be ensured when agriculture becomes a highly competitive and modernized green industry.

The New Plan on Agriculture for the 21st Century 邁進二十一世紀農業新方案 implemented in January 2001 was designed not only to realize the goal of a sustainable development of the green industry, but also to create a dignified and dynamic life for farmers and establish an ideal living environment for all. In accordance with this plan, the government has attached greater importance to the quality rather than the quantity of agricultural production. The number of farmers in the farming, livestock, and fishery industries will be reduced from 776,000 in 1999 to 633,000 by 2004. The labor productivity in the agricultural sector will also be raised by 4.17 percent each year from 2001 through 2004. The production value of farming, livestock, and fishery industries will be adjusted from 43.6, 33.2, and 23.2 percent to 42, 35, and 23 percent, respectively, by 2004, and the annual income from agricultural products for every farming household will be increased from US$5,411 to US$5,860 by 2004.


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