Agriculture is the most essential industry, and is also the cradle of civilization. Human survival and vitality are intimately connected with agriculture.

Our daily meals, landscape, recreational travel, and natural conservation are closely linked with agriculture. Agricultural administration thus involves a wide range of categories including agro-industrial development, farmers' and fishermen's welfare, consumer rights, and protection of natural ecology, these are essential to modern agricultural administration. 

Facing economic globalization, deregulation, and digitalized international competition, as well as open and diversified social development structure, agricultural administration of Taiwan in the 21st Century must respond properly to the fast-changing international challenges while also attending to multifarious social needs. 

This means today's agricultural administration must undertake more important mission while coping with a tough environment. Based on my understanding of the overall agricultural development trend, I have advocated an administrative vision of "develop a quality, safe, recreational, and ecological modern agriculture, and upgrade the living quality of the people." With a policy aimed for benefiting the citizens, the COA and all of our colleagues exerted our best efforts in improving administrative efficiency and qualified service for the everlasting development of agriculture in Taiwan. Supports from our farmer and fisherman friends and all segments of society enable our agricultural administration efforts to make a smooth progress. 

Not only successfully easing the impact of WTO membership on the agricultural sector, but also achieving the tangible results in the areas of legal revisions, organizational adjustment, production-marketing development, farmers' and fishermen's welfare, consumer protection, and natural conservation. Our various innovative and groundbreaking accomplishments were extremely gratifying. As to our most productive and promising performances in 2004, we bred 25 new varieties of rice, fruits and vegetables, flowers, and ornamental fish in the aspect of technological R&D. The superior quality and considerable market potential of these new varieties promise to enhance industrial competitiveness. In the 5 agricultural technology parks that were constructed, 22 and 12 companies were prospectively approved to set up companies in the "Ping Tung Agricultural Biotechnology Park" and the "Taiwan Orchid Biotechnology Park". 

The Taiwan Flower Exposition, "National Floriculture Park," attracted 1.58 million visitors, gradually laying the groundwork for agricultural transformation in Taiwan. In addition, as for the urgent public sanitary and safe issue of quality agricultural products, we have begun instituting an agricultural production traceability system and strengthening marketing flow management. We look forward to providing an even more transparent and consumer-confident environment by creating a product tracking system. We held "Taiwanese Fine Agricultural Products Exhibitions" in Japan and Hong Kong as part of our campaign to expand our international markets, and allowing the export of our agricultural product to grow by 8.7%. Although Taiwanese rice had not been exported to Japan since 1971, our rice was re-introduced on the Japanese market in October 2004. 

Furthermore, our papayas were finally certified to Japanese market after a rigorous reviewing that lasted almost 8 years. Exports of phalaenopsis orchids with medium to the United States have overcome quarantine obstacles and can be exported to the United States now. Besides, our participation in Japan's "Lake Hamana International Flower Show" had caught the attention of countless international visitors through fine-quality flowers and clever floral art. Our country was awarded the highest honor of the show, "Golden Award." This shows that, as long as we give free rein to our creativity, Taiwan's flower industry will enjoy great room for the development in international market. Having weathered the storm of trade globalization, Taiwan's agriculture has accumulated considerable experience of international competition, and is gradually finding its feet. However, I am keenly aware that our agricultural sector will inevitably face even tougher challenges in the years ahead as trade deregulation deepens and accelerates. 

It is essential that the agricultural sector should now devote its unstinting efforts in building up stronger agricultural capabilities, expanding diversified contribution of agriculture to production, life, and ecology. This will create an image of fine quality on the agricultural products of Taiwan, and get a bigger share of the world markets. We mush help our hard-working farmers and fishermen to gain greater respect, give more confidence to supporters of domestic agriculture, and let the world see the progress of Taiwanese agriculture. By reviewing the past year and planning for the future, I hope this Annual Report will enable our people to have a better understanding of our agricultural administration, and to give their encouragement, support, and comments to the agricultural sector. It is our aim to crack the agricultural sector to keep on improving, upgrading, and sparkle brilliantly in the international limelight.