The Council of Agriculture should implement digital certificates to help farmers buy materials and claim benefits, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators said yesterday.
The council should help prepare farmers to operate in a post-COVID-19 business environment, in which consumers are increasingly using online platforms to avoid person-to-person contact, DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) told an online news conference.
The council should create QR codes as an addition to the farmer’s welfare card, which was introduced in January, Chung said.
Photo copied by Peng Wan-hsin, Taipei Times
Until such a time as the card becomes more widely used, QR codes would help authenticate farmers’ identity when purchasing agricultural chemicals, which is needed for farmers to claim subsidies, he said.
The council should also implement an online business account function as part of the farmer’s welfare card project that would help farmers source their supplies through online retailers, he added.
The farmer’s welfare card should be used for more than proof of identity and managing food safety standards, DPP Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said.
The card could be linked to an account at agricultural chemical stores, farmers’ cooperatives and other retailers to give farmers more options, Kuo said.
The farmer’s welfare card should also incorporate other personal information, such as the farmer’s insurance, pension account and the status of subsidy payments, he said.
Government agencies need to access up-to-date information about the nation’s farmers before they can distribute relief to those in need, Kuo said, adding that COVID-19 aid is being distributed using records from 2019.
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