The chairman of the Council of Agriculture, Chen Hsi-huang (陳希煌), yesterday announced a six-year plan to reduce the total number of betel nut trees on the island and put an end to the soil erosion caused by hillside planting.
"We have to do something because the planting of trees on mountain slopes is having a severely damaging effect on the environment. This was particularly evident after the 921 earthquake last year," Chen said during questioning at a Legislative Yuan Economic and Energy Committee meeting yesterday.
Betel nuts trees also consume large amounts of water. It is estimated that betel nut trees islandwide consume six billion tonnes of water each year.
Chen said the council's plan is to ban the planting of betel trees on mountainsides with a gradient of more than 30 degrees.
According to the council's latest survey, just over 19 percent of the 57,000 hectares of betel nut plantations are located on hillsides with slopes greater than 30 degrees, he said.
Chen said that they would help betel nut farmers switch to other occupations if the regulations forced them out of business.
As for farmers who plant betel nut trees in mountainous areas not covered by the new regulations, Chen said that officials would urge the farmers to plant some other kinds of trees.
Agricultural officials said that farmers who cooperated with the government's program would receive a subsidy for 20 years out of a pool of NT$530,000.
Legislators, however, said that this sum was only a drop in the ocean compared to the huge financial incentive behind the betel nut industry.
DPP legislator Ker Chien-ming (
"But this is not simply a health issue," Ker said. "We have to look at the issue from several angles. There are cultural, economic and agricultural aspects to the betel nut industry," he said, adding that two million consumers could not be ignored.
"How can you fight against a cash crop that generated an annual revenue of nearly NT$100 billion?" asked Ker.
He said that in all likelihood, the council's plan to crackdown on mountainside planting was an empty promise.
Chen admitted that the council faced a daunting task challenging betel nut growers -- considering that the seasonal price for a single betel nut can the same as the price of a dozen eggs.
Ironically, the high-profit industry is not limited to individual growers. The Taiwan Forestry Bureau (
DPP legislator Lin Feng-hsi (
Some legislators blamed the environmental problem on the council and its poor use of the funds it has available.
"Developing mountainous areas for tourism has done nothing to protect the environment," said KMT legislator Kao Yang-sheng (
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS