The nation’s first crop insurance is to be launched in November to protect farmers against losses due to natural disasters with grafted pear to be the first insurable crop.
The Council of Agriculture said that Fubon Insurance Co had formulated two types of crop insurance policies specially designed for grafted pears, with the policies approved by the Financial Supervisory Commission this month.
A multi-peril crop policy that is bundled with government disaster assistance would cover damage caused by typhoons, torrential rain or hail, Fubon said.
Premiums are to range from NT$30,000 to NT$50,000 (US$901 to US$1,502) per hectare and the coverage would be from NT$90,000 to NT$150,000 per hectare, the company said.
Meanwhile, a full coverage insurance policy would cover damage caused by typhoons or torrential rain, while an extra crop-hail insurance could be added at an additional cost, with the premium of a combined package ranging from NT$50,000 to NT$90,000 per hectare and coverage between NT$280,000 and NT$400,00 per hectare, the company said.
Usually planted in October, and harvested in August and September, grafted pears are commonly grown in Taichung, as well as Miaoli, Hsinchu, Chiayi and Yilan counties, and so the policies are limited to farms in those municipalities, the company said.
The council said it would subsidize one-third of the premiums to include more farmers in the insurance system.
The crop insurance was developed amid repeated calls for a risk management mechanism in the agriculture sector following Typhoon Soudelor last month, which caused NT$3.15 billion in agricultural losses, the council said, adding that more valuable cash crops would be included in the insurance system in the future.
The government’s disaster relief system would remain unchanged even with the implementation of the crop insurance by private insurers, the council said.
The nation’s crop farms are geographically centralized and harvest seasons are concentrated, boosting the damage potential of a large-scale disaster and the need for crop insurance, the council said.
A more inclusive crop insurance would be on the government’s priority agenda, the council said, adding that it would draft an insurance framework for farm facilities and expand coverage to damage caused by natural disasters by April next year when the annual flood period starts.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS