While it was a year filled with challenges, 2008 was also rich in agricultural policy achievements and has served as a milestone for the newly-elected administration. Over the past year, the world has faced both food and energy crises. Reduced food production and huge increases in the cost of food, oil, fertilizer, and other agricultural inputs have caused social and economic upheaval and uncertainty. Taiwan was also beset by numerous typhoons, which led to significant fluctuations in the prices of agricultural products. Fortunately, the government implemented proactive policies to ensure food security and was quick to provide natural disaster assistance, which enabled farmers to return to their fields, stabilized domestic food prices, and reduced the impact on the people’s livelihoods. The Council of Agriculture (COA) is at the forefront of important issues facing the nation, such as determining the best mobilization strategy for agricultural resources, ensuring food security and supply stability for agricultural inputs, restructuring agriculture to improve competitiveness, and protecting the interests of both farmers and consumers.

　Taiwanese agriculture is facing evolving challenges in this time of economic globalization and dynamic development. In the past, agriculture served mainly to support the needs of industry. Today, agriculture plays an important and diverse role in a wide variety of areas, including food security, social stability, and environmental protection. As Taiwan’s economy has developed over the years, we have always sought to maintain a balance in the nation’s agriculture during ever-changing times and make adjustments as the situation requires, highlighting the industry’s tenacity and flexibility.

　While considering domestic and global socioeconomic trends, the COA operates with the goal of creating healthful, efficient, and sustainable policies in order to increase the competitiveness of Taiwan’s agricultural industry, ensure the stability and security of the food supply, protect the environment, and allow farmers to make a decent living. By building connections with the rest of the world, Taiwan’s agriculture can utilize its technological advantages along with its unique economic and geographical characteristics to extend, innovate, and reform the domestic agricultural industry. The COA advances agricultural policies that will benefit farmers, consumers, the environment, future generations, and the global community. We continue to promote structural reform in the agricultural sector, improving farmers’ quality of life, while increasing the quality of agricultural resources and the efficiency of their use. These policies promote soil conservation, encourage ecological harmony, and ensure sustainable development for Taiwan’s agriculture. We hope to develop a modern, globally-focused agricultural industry that while rooted in the present, has its eyes set on the future. 

　Since taking office in 2008, members of the new agricultural policy team have been united in their efforts to spur Taiwan’s agricultural growth and achieve sustainable development. The new team focused upon a series of programs including food security, production requisites, enlargement of the farming scale, rural renewal, afforestation and coast rejuvenation. In order to enhance the sales and marketing of Taiwan’s agricultural products abroad, we promoted sales of Taiwanese products to mainland China in the hopes of establishing a long-term mutually beneficial relationship and expanding overseas sales channels. Through the hard work of the entire council and support from various quarters, the COA not only implemented innovative reform measures, but also ensured that various projects begun by previous administrations continued to bear fruit.

　Through the publication of this report, I would like to increase public awareness and understanding of agricultural policies and encourage public support for Taiwan’s agricultural industry. This will spur the government to improve further, helping our agricultural sector to adjust to new economic realities and demonstrate its achievements on the global stage.

Wu-hsiung Chen
Minister
Council of Agriculture
Executive Yuan
March 2009