The Council of Agriculture on Tuesday unveiled a plan to encourage vegetable farmers to install more wind-resistant shade net structures, in an effort to protect produce from typhoon damage and ensure a more stable supply.
Starting next year, farmers who install such nets would receive a subsidy equal to 50 percent of the installation cost, up from 33 percent, Agriculture and Food Agency Director-General Chen Jen-pin (陳建斌) said.
The maximum permitted subsidy per farmer would be NT$5.5 million (US$172,940) per hectare, Chen said, adding that the council’s goal is to have 2,000 hectares of farmland equipped with wind-resistant net structures in the next five years.
Photo: CNA
The output from 2,000 hectares of farmland could supply consumers in Taipei and New Taipei City for a month, he added.
During Typhoon Meranti and Typhoon Megi in September, 11,000 hectares of vegetable farmland and multiple agricultural facilities were damaged, leading to a surge in vegetable prices in the weeks that followed due to low supply, the council said.
Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute director-general Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said that after the typhoons, the institute spent one month investigating the damage suffered by farmers.
Based on their findings, the institute designed six types of shade net structures able to resist winds up to force 13 and three types able to resist force-10 winds, he said.
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