The Council of Agriculture (COA) is committed to planting trees on 60,000 hectares of level land nationwide over the next eight years, COA Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) said yesterday.
Speaking at a news conference to mark “tree-planting month,” Chen said the council was planning to make the forestation program for this year part of its efforts to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and create jobs.
Chen said the council would invite residents of 400 communities to help plant trees on 5,060 hectares of land this year and to adopt 56,686 hectares of forest to make Taiwan greener.
Owners of sloping or level plots of land who participate in the program will receive a subsidy of NT$120,000 (US$3,500) per hectare in the first year. People who join the tree-planting program for level areas will be entitled to NT$210,000 per hectare in subsidies in the first year, the council said.
Last year, 459 communities participated in the tree-planting activity with the help of council subsidies, completing plantation on 1,558.5 hectares and adopting 58,815 hectares of forest.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
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