Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji (陳保基) said on Monday that importing farm workers is “inevitable” and that the council would draft a national policy for that purpose “as soon as possible.”
Chen made the remarks during a meeting with a group of young farmers in Taoyuan County, where he heard one person complain that the combined age of the three women working at his tea plantation exceeded 200.
“How much longer can they work for me?” the farmer said.
Chen said a labor shortage in the nation’s agricultural sector is a serious problem, adding that changes are needed in the sector as members of the younger generation in rural areas do not want to work the land as their fathers and grandfathers did.
Chen cited the example of Israel, where he said he recently met a Thai worker who spoke Mandarin.
“The Thai man, who worked in Taiwan six years ago, has now been hired by a dairy farmer in Israel,” Chen said.
What is happening in Israel today is similar to the situation in the US in the 19th century, when a great number of Chinese migrant workers went to help build railways and later ended up running Chinese restaurants and laundry shops in many US cities, Chen said.
“We can see many workers being employed in Japan, too,” he said, adding that countries must import foreign workers for the sake of economic development.
What the council plans to do is different from some other countries that allow only “seasonal” workers to meet demand for workers at individual farms, Chen said after the meeting.
“We will survey the need for foreign farm hands in Taiwan’s farming sector — the approximate numbers and periods of the year and so on, based on which the council will make an overall plan,” he said.
In response to a tea farmer’s statement that a foreign farming hand would not be needed all year round, Chen said the council would factor in farming seasons and regional needs when drafting the plan.
“We will see to it that a foreign farming hand will find jobs from southern to northern Taiwan seasonally,” he said, adding that the council would “push ahead with the policy as soon as possible.”
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