Dozens of farmers on Wednesday protested the government’s announcement last month that it was cutting off irrigation to 19,000 hectares of farmland across Taoyuan, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties due to insufficient rainfall this year.
The farmers and environmental groups demonstrated in front of the Executive Yuan building in Taipei, with one of their banners in Chinese reading: “Drought is a natural disaster, but curtailing water supply is human-made disaster.”
“Farmers are always the first to suffer during water shortages, and we refuse to take it any more,” said Hung Hsiang (洪箱), a farmer from Miaoli.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The government failed to consider that rice paddies are soon to be harvested, Hung said, adding that cutting irrigation would be a disaster for farmers — even if they were to receive NT$140,000 in subsidies per hectare affected.
Hung said that the government should rather cut the water supply for the manufacturing sector and subsidizing companies in the sector instead of the farmers.
The Wanbao Self-help Group, of which Hung is a member, on Wednesday issued a statement, strongly condemning the announcement.
The government said it was to grant the most generous such subsidies in the nation’s history, acting as if it would not affect agricultural production, he said.
Central Taiwan Farmer’s Group member Hsu Wen-feng (許文烽) said that while the subsidies would outweigh many famers’ losses, those who are leasing land, managing their own brand or pursue organic farming would not benefit.
The reputation of some farmers’ brands might be harmed, and they might have to cease selling under that brand, Hsu said.
The government must consider that every time it cuts the water, it is hurting not only the farmers, but every business that is in the production chain, Hsu said, adding that many businesses in the sector would not receive any subsidies.
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