It takes a touch of magic to turn Nauru — the world’s smallest island nation known for its barren land — into a flourishing farming village, the chief of Taiwan’s agriculture technical mission in the South Pacific country said on Wednesday.
“All you see is a place where you have to work magic,” the 55-year-old Mo Kuo-chung (莫國中) said of the 21km2 country in an interview with the Central News Agency in Nauru, one of the stops on President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) tour of six South Pacific allies.
Mo served in the Marshall Islands, Bahrain and Kiribati before arriving in Nauru in 2008, making him Taiwan’s most experienced technical mission chief in the South Pacific.
CHALLENGES
In his opinion, Nauru provides an unfavorable environment for agriculture for many reasons. First, the island is small and isolated with soil that is sandy and shallow, leaving it vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Rising sea levels is also causing the increased salination of the island’s land and water, Mo said.
Second, Nauru is geographically a long way from international markets, and the high transportation costs to other countries hamper exports of the country’s agricultural products, Mo said.
Under these circumstances, he said, the ability to “endure setbacks” is a key area of focus for members of the technical mission.
The team’s main task is to cultivate the soil and look for sources of fresh water, but it also has to deal with high temperatures — agricultural development’s biggest enemy.
MARKETING
The marketing of agricultural products on the island, however, is relatively simple.
Most of the products are intended for consumption within the family or among relatives and friends. Otherwise, they are sold directly by the producers, Mo said.
Because South Pacific tradition attaches great importance to the family and the church, obtaining the support of patriarchs and church members is also critical to facilitating the promotion of agriculture in the country, he said.
POSSIBILITIES
Mo said it should be possible to develop many by-products from Nauru’s abundant ocean resources and ubiquitous coconut trees.
The country could, for example, export lobster in cooperation with other countries, which would bring in much-needed revenue, he said.
Though he lives on an island that appears to have nothing, Mo is overflowing with a sense of achievement.
“There is no pursuit more worthwhile than seeing your hopes and hard work materialize and come to fruition, one step at a time,” he said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS