The nation is about 31 percent food self-sufficient and can last for three months in any national security threat, Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) said yesterday during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
The council hopes to elevate the figure to 40 percent by 2020 through its Great Granary Program, Lin said in response to questions from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲).
Due to changes to dietary habits, domestic supply of rice has exceeded demand, Lin said, adding that the council is working to adjust the production levels of different produce.
Under the program, the council is seeking to increase grain production by 300,000 tonnes and the production area by 30,000 hectares before 2020, while helping rice farmers grow other produce such as sweet potatoes, soybean, buckwheat and corn, he said.
Legislators on the Economics Committee raised concerns about the council’s ability to protect farmland.
The nation should have about 740,000 to 810,000 hectares of farmland to guarantee food supplies, but only 684,819 hectares are usable, council data from August showed.
New Power Party Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) asked Lin to clarify his position on Taiwan Sugar Corp’s (Taisugar) land use, considering that half of the utility’s property is quality farmland.
“Quality farmland should be reserved for agricultural use, especially that of Taisugar,” Lin said.
The council supports the Environmental Protection Administration’s proposal that development on Taisugar land larger than 1 hectare should undergo an environmental impact assessment, he added.
However, some of Taisugar’s land is in urban areas and not necessarily quality farmland, Lin said, adding that the council would respect other authorities’ decisions regarding development.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Li-shan (張麗善) criticized the council’s failure to tackle banana overproduction, as there are still 70,000 tonnes of bananas to be sold, despite the government’s purchase of 1,200 tonnes.
The production area of bananas was severely damaged by typhoons last year, but production this year has grown 20 percent, causing prices to plummet.
Lin said that the council would help farmers access information through the council’s production and marketing platform, so they would know next year’s price to adjust production.
Cabbage and dragon fruit are also likely to be overproduced in the fourth quarter, he said, adding that the council is closely observing their production.
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