Agriculture Labor Shortage Helper APP launched, Council of Agriculture helps find farming manpower

The problem of agricultural labor shortage has existed for a long time. To match labor with farm owners, the Council of Agriculture launched the "Agriculture Labor Shortage Helper" APP. At a press conference on the 25th, Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Li Tui-chih said that since the APP went online more than two months ago, nearly 200 farm owners have logged in to use it, and he hopes to expand the scale further.

Li Tui-chih: Expand diversified labor supplementation

As for bringing in foreign labor, Li explained that the aim is to sign working holiday agreements with various New Southbound countries as much as possible, such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, "hoping to make progress within half a year." As for whether to pilot or fully open up foreign agricultural workers? Li responded, "That is not currently under consideration."

Before bringing in foreign labor, how should Taiwan solve the current labor shortage? Li Tui-chih emphasized that in addition to labor-saving machinery and mechanized cultivation teams, "we should find ways to liberate domestic labor." This year the Council of Agriculture is expanding diversified labor supplementation measures, including agricultural technical teams, agricultural rejuvenation teams, and agricultural professional teams (tea teams, livestock teams, mushroom teams, guava teams, and facility collaboration teams).

Raise agricultural income, retain those who want to farm

"We must find ways to retain those who want to farm." Hsu said that, for example, trained agricultural masters are paid an hourly wage of 150 yuan, with bonuses based on work efficiency, and even long-term employment opportunities are offered. Agricultural masters who sign up to farm on their own represent an interest in agriculture, and ways should be found to retain these valuable talents, "otherwise they will feel that agriculture has no future and the pay is low."

Li Tui-chih emphasized that in the future the functions of the "Agricultural Human Resources Platform" website and the "Agriculture Labor Shortage Helper" APP will be integrated to appropriately dispatch labor. It is hoped that in the future agricultural income can be raised and combined with social needs, reversing the status of agriculture and making young people willing to choose to enter agriculture.