The Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday that prices for rice were expected to remain stable despite a looming water shortage in central and southern areas, which has prompted the council to temporarily shut down nearly 15,000 hectares of rice paddies in Chiayi County.
The closure is expected to affect up to 80,000 tonnes, or 10 percent of total rice production for the season, officials said, but added that an abundant harvest last year, coupled with ample supplies in government stockpiles, would help prevent price increases in the near term.
The nation produced and imported nearly 1.42 million tonnes of rice last year, with total consumption reaching around 1.3 million tonnes.
Officials said the government’s stockpile of rice currently stands at 380,000 tonnes, more than the safety guideline of 300,000 tonnes.
Council data showed that the wholesale price for rice dropped about 11 percent from the same period last year, from NT$36.01 to NT$32.02 per kilogram.
In related news, the Water Resources Agency (WRA) yesterday said it was considering using Kaohsiung County’s Kao-Ping Great Lake (高屏大湖) to help alleviate a water shortage in parts of the south.
WRA Deputy Director-General Wu Yueh-hsi (吳約西) said that this could boost water supply in the area by up to 28 million tonnes, similar to a small-scale reservoir.
However, he said the agency would first work to gain local approval before construction work would begin.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS