Living allowance for senior farmers and fishermen

　In order to enhance care for older farmers and fishermen, the government announced the Provisional Statute for Senior Farmers’ Welfare and Subsidy on May 31, 1995. The statute provided qualified farmers over the age of 65 with a monthly subsidy of NT$3,000. On January 1, 2004, the subsidy was raised to NT$4,000 and again to NT$5,000 the following year. On July 1, 2007 it was further raised to its current level of NT$6,000.

　Pursuant to revisions in the National Pension Act made by the Ministry of the Interior that were put into effect on August 13, 2008, the national pension and farmers’ insurance remain separate entities. Those covered by the farmers’ pension insurance are not compelled to be part of the national pension system and beneficiaries will still receive a subsidy of NT$6,000. Under this system, the COA can ensure that retired agricultural workers continue to receive the benefits that they are due under the law.

　In 2008, a total of NT$50,918,350,00 in monthly subsidies were given out. From 1995 to 2008, a total of NT$369,920,180,000 has been disbursed, benefitting 1,043,172 farmers and fishermen.

Academic scholarship program for the children of agricultural workers

　In keeping with the government’s policy to help students from less-privileged families or groups, the COA is committed to ensuring that the children of agricultural workers will not be denied a secondary or tertiary education due to economic difficulties. To achieve this aim, the COA issued the Scholarship Application Guidelines for the Children of Farmers and Fishermen. Each term, each qualifying student receives a scholarship of from NT$3,000 to NT$10,000. In 2008, a total of NT$1,813,000,000 in scholarships were distributed, aiding more than 268,200 farmers and fishermen.

　The COA worked together with the Ministry of Education and other agencies to establish an education assistance platform to rapidly and effectively process applications from the children of agricultural workers to reduce or waive school sundry fees for high school and beyond.

Relief for damages caused by natural disaster and imports

　To ease the burden of losses and facilitate resumption of normal production after natural disasters, the COA provides various relief measures including cash payments, subsidies, and low-interest loans. On June 11, 2008, relevant regulations were revised to reduce the threshold for relief qualification while raising assistance amounts. Once a region is declared a disaster area, local and national personnel are mobilized to process relief applications, thus reducing the time it takes for farmers to receive assistance. In 2008, in response to the seven disasters declared, a total of NT$3.79 billion in cash payments were disbursed, benefiting 240,000 farmers and fishermen. Low-interest loans and interest subsidies totaled NT$290 million and NT$55.26 million respectively, aiding 339 households.

　To reduce the extent of damages caused by imports on domestic agriculture and the industry’s workers, the COA has developed and implemented damage relief measures. In June 2007, the COA approved the Nantou County Government’s relief request for its low-elevation tea production in three townships, which suffered from damage caused by tea imports. NT$114 million was supplied to subsidize tea picking, transportation, renewal of tea plants, and pruning. In order to stabilize prices, the COA has also implemented domestic production and import forecasting systems.

Enhancing supply forecasting mechanisms

　Beginning in 2007, in order to better forecast supply of a variety of agricultural goods, the COA implemented a production declaration scheme and a price stabilizing mechanism for any product whose price drops 5% below its direct cost. Based on the precise information obtained from producers, these schemes and mechanisms are applied to sensitive agro-products to uphold the supply-demand balance, to stabilize their prices, and ensure farmer income. Three separate protocols were designed as the legal framework for the program, encouraging producers to register the amounts of agro-products they planned to produce for the following items: bananas, oranges, papayas, pineapples, garlic, onions, peanuts, milkfish, Taiwan tilapia, sea eel, perch, grouper, clams, pigs, broiler chickens, native chickens, and eggs. These mechanisms benefit both the agro-producers and consumers.

　Over the past two years that this reporting system has been in use, while the COA made efforts to simplify the process and increase participation, interest among farmers was low. Therefore, results have not been ideal and have failed to create a successful, accurate forecasting system. Some parts of the system will be ceased in 2009 and the focus will be shifted to in-field surveys. Computerized equipment will assist in creating a field survey system. Responsibilities to perform specialized surveys and provide guidance will once again fall to each individual agency. In order to stabilize the supply of fish, the COA surveyed and analyzed trading prices and negotiated with industry groups to make necessary adjustments when unusual situations were found. In 2008, Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan Counties aided fishermen’s associations and industry groups to set up fresh and frozen fish storage measures to enhance their ability to moderate supply and demand fluctuations.