Agricultural products accounted for 12.8 percent of the nation’s total exports in 1991, but that figure had declined to 1.6 percent last year. Of the 12.8 percent, crops made up only 30 percent. Thus, the market value of agricultural products is becoming increasingly insignificant. The development of agricultural technology remains stagnant in Taiwan and lacks international competitiveness, while the excessive use of insecticides threatens people’s health and the environment.
The US is the biggest exporter of agricultural products to Taiwan and US products now account for one-third of the nation’s agricultural product imports. However, even the US has started to plant GM crops on a large scale. From the Department of Health’s recent listing of GM rice and papayas as items to be examined, we know that more GM products are likely to be imported.
Local agriculture is facing difficulties such as high labor costs, and the market value of uncompetitive traditional agricultural products is also low. Where is Taiwan’s future if we import large volumes of GM crops while, irrationally, limiting domestic research and development of GM technologies? Shouldn’t all these questions be discussed in a rational manner?
Tuan-hua David Ho is an academician of Academia Sinica and former director-general of the National Science and Technology Program on Agriculture Biotechnology.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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