About 30 schools nationwide have incorporated Taiwan-grown millet into school lunches to promote diet diversity and indigenous culture, the Agriculture and Food Agency said on Thursday.
Agency Deputy Director Huang Chao-hsing (黃昭興) said the Ministry of Agriculture collaborated with the Council of Indigenous Peoples to promote millet and revitalize the value of the important cash crop.
The program has been implemented in about 30 schools across Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung and Hualien counties.
Photo: CNA
Given aggravated extreme weather, millet is an ideal crop that can add diversity to school lunches aside from rice, Huang said.
Council Deputy Minister Adralriw Abaliusu said millet is not only a healthy food, but also has cultural significance.
“Millet is a means for most indigenous people to connect and communicate with their ancestral spirits,” he said.
New Taipei City Indigenous Peoples Department Director Siku Yaway said that Zhangshu Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Sijhih District (汐止) was chosen to start the program, as it is an urban school with students of various indigenous backgrounds.
“It [the program] is important, as children would have more confidence and understanding of their own culture when they see their indigenous lifestyle and fellow people are incorporated into daily life,” she said.
Millet is good for digestive health, as the food is rich in nutrients such as dietary fiber, protein, iron, magnesium and vitamin B, the agency said.
It can help prevent students from consuming too much refined starches, and teach them about healthy diets and the spirit of cherishing locally grown crops, it said.
Millet dishes served in schools include chicken broth noodles with millet, millet curry with meat sauce, baked vegetables with millet, and corn soup with millet, the agency said.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
ISOLATION: The outposts would serve as support and backup bases, forcing US forces to either face China head-on or reroute, increasing travel time and operational costs China’s outposts in the South China Sea could be used to delay and constrain foreign forces during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, giving Beijing a critical window to carry out amphibious landing and blockade operations, a report said. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forward operating bases on islands and reclaimed features in the South China Sea could delay foreign forces long enough for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to secure a key 48-to-72-hour window in the Taiwan Strait, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council found. The report, conducted by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, examined
RSS