The nation should secure about 740,000 to 810,000 hectares of farmland to guarantee food supplies in case imports are blocked because of a natural disaster, Council of Agriculture (COA) Deputy Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said yesterday.
Chen made the remarks at a seminar in Taipei organized by the Rural Economics Society of Taiwan.
About 67,800 hectares of farmland are occupied by factories, water facilities and farmhouses — in breach of regulations — while usable farmland is about 684,819 hectares, he said.
To reduce misuse of farmland, the council plans to demolish 286 facilities built illegally on farmland after May 20 last year, he said, adding that the plan is to “stem the bleeding” and would be followed by more such action.
As the work is to be carried out by local governments, they should use revenue from fines and could seek additional money from the council’s Agricultural Development Fund if needed, he said.
While affirming Chen’s efforts, some at the seminar said other government agencies were responsible for the misuse of farmland.
“Land expropriation is the biggest problem farmers face,” said Hung Hsiang (洪箱), a farmer from Miaoli County. “Why does the council let the Ministry of Economic Affairs take whatever it wants?”
Treasure Our Land, Taiwan secretary-general Lin Tzu-ling (林子凌) asked: “What will the council do to stop the appropriation of farmland by the public sector?”
The Taoyuan Aerotropolis project is to claim more than 4,000 hectares of land, about 2,300 hectares of which is zoned for agricultural use, while the Puyu (璞玉) project in Hsinchu County is to appropriate farmland to build a high-tech park, Lin said, adding that the council must develop better strategies to protect farmland.
“If the council is workin so hard, should we not also ask the Ministry of Economic Affairs to explain its vision for the industrial development?” Yilan Guardian Workshop founder Lee Pao-lien (李寶蓮) said.
Chen said the removal plan represented only 10 percent of the council’s policy regarding farmland and other issues would be clarified in subsequent seminars.
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