A Web page that will provide smartphone users with the latest information on agricultural products will be launched at the end of this year aimed at farmers, the Council of Agriculture said on Wednesday.
The council will provide integrated market information via cloud computing technology that farmers can access with their smartphones, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said at a public hearing.
For example, farmers would be able to use the Web site to stay abreast of current prices and production situations of a certain fruit or produce, Lai said.
Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Hu Hsing-hua (胡興華) said the council was working on a system to provide instant messaging for farmers, companies and manufacturers that would allow them to view the information via voice mail, text messages or electronic bulletin boards.
The council’s Web site already provides price and market prediction services, said Pan Kuo-tsai (潘國才), director of the council’s information center, adding that a simple version of the application for mobile phone users would be unveiled at the end of October.
Pan said this would give price information at about noon every day so farmers could decide on the best place to sell their produce.
Chunghwa Telecom deputy general manager Lee Yen-sung (李炎松) said the company was willing to offer discounted smartphone packages for farmers.
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