For every NT$1 (US$0.033) paid into the Agricultural Technology Development Program, an estimated NT$6.9 is created in industrial benefits, Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji (陳保基) said yesterday.
The program was created by the council in 2006 to encourage companies to invest in research and development to accelerate the industrialization of agricultural technology and enhance the industry’s competitiveness.
Lee Hung-hsi (李紅曦), vice director of the council’s Department of Science and Technology, said 96 projects are in the works across the program’s three divisions — research institutions, universities and agricultural industry.
Some of the projects presented yesterday included an LED fish-attracting lamp, weighing half that of a halogen lamp, that would reduce the tonnage of a fishing boat and save almost NT$4 million on fuel consumption for each voyage.
The council said that the lighting technology saves about 20 percent of fuel consumption costs, while not reducing the amount of Pacific saury caught on boats.
The council added that exposure to ultraviolet rays from the LED light will not harm the fish.
Other notable innovations presented included a process for increasing the size of golden clams from a previous 400 to 800 clams per kilogram to 350 to 700 clams per kilogram, along with a “negative pressure” isolation chicken cage capable of improving chickens’ immune system, their inventors said.
As part of the government’s overall budget of NT$770 billion for the program, NT$190 billion was generated from the industrial sector, NT$470 billion from related investments and nearly NT$300 billion from increased industrial output value, Lee said.
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