The Ministry of Labor has agreed to support a proposal to increase the number of migrant workers in the agricultural sector from 6,000 to 12,000, Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said at a young farmers’ event in Hualien on Saturday.
During the event, which was held for the first time in two years after the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers from 17 young farmers’ associations asked about programs to improve the industry and address its labor shortages.
Difficulty finding workers is a nationwide problem, Chen said, adding that agricultural experts have been working to come up with solutions to improve labor within the sector.
Photo: CNA
Increasing the number of migrant workers allocated to the agricultural sector could relieve the shortage, Chen said, adding that the Ministry of Labor on March 6 agreed to a proposal by the COA to increase the number of foreign workers allowed to work in the industry from 6,000 to 12,000.
Chen did not disclose how long the proposal would need to be discussed by the government before receiving approval.
The government has increased the COA’s budget by allocating an annual subsidy of NT$2.3 billion (US$75.3 million) for agricultural machinery, he said.
Asked about the difficulties faced by young farmers in finding new land to increase the scale of their operations, Chen said that a proposed amendment to the Farmer Health Insurance Act (農民健康保險條例) passed a third reading at the Legislative Yuan and is expected to come into effect on June 1.
The amendment would encourage older farmers to release some land to the younger generation by ensuring their insurance benefits are not reduced by the leasing or sale of land, he said.
A domestically developed “suicide drone,” also known as a loitering munition, would be tested and evaluated in July, and could enter mass production next year, Taiwan’s weapons developer said on Wednesday. The yet-to-be-named drone was among nine drone models unveiled by the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) on Tuesday. The drone has been dubbed the “Taiwanese switchblade” by Chinese-language media, due to its similarity to the US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300, which has been used by Ukraine in counterattacks during Russia’s invasion. It has a range of more than 10km, a flight time of more than 15 minutes, and an electro-optical
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials are investigating why a Starlux Airlines flight to Penang, Malaysia, returned to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport nearly two hours after takeoff yesterday morning. The airline said in a statement that Flight JX721 to Penang took off from Taoyuan airport at 9:20am. “After the dashboard showed a signal of an abnormality in the hydraulic system, the captain followed standard operating procedures and returned the flight to Taoyuan airport for safety precautions,” the airline said, adding that the flight landed safely at the airport at 11:04am. The airline arranged for the passengers to have lunch after the flight landed and
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number
RSS