"Man-Machine Cooperation, Saves Labor Under One Roof" Promoting Agricultural Machinery Contract Cultivation Services

The problem of agricultural labor shortage has always been serious. The central government promotes agricultural machinery contract cultivation services. On 5/10, the Council of Agriculture held the "Man-Machine Cooperation Saves Labor Under One Roof" - Promoting Agricultural Machinery Contract Cultivation Services event at the Shuibiantou Plateau Road Tea Garden in Guanxi Township, Hsinchu County, personally hosted by Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien. The minister put on work clothes and, under the guidance of technical personnel, personally operated the "ride-on powered tea leaf harvesting and shearing machine" to experience how machines are used to harvest tea. He stated that only man-machine cooperation can effectively solve the problem of agricultural labor shortage. Hsinchu County Magistrate Chiu Ching-chun stated that the county government fully cooperates in promoting agricultural machinery contract cultivation, making farm work labor-saving and time-saving.

Minister Lin Tsung-hsien stated that he hopes to gradually adjust the industrial structure, reduce the demand for agricultural labor, and slowly expand the agricultural machinery sharing system, diffuse and promote agricultural services, effectively improve the problem of agricultural labor shortage, and simultaneously plan measures for reducing and supplementing agricultural labor, and adopt corresponding actions for the needs of industries facing labor shortages. Regarding the reduction of agricultural labor, strengthen the planning and introduction of agricultural machinery, and guide young farmers to establish agricultural machinery work teams, promote agricultural machinery contract cultivation services, and reduce the demand for agricultural labor in various agricultural production and marketing stages.

The Hsinchu County Agriculture Department stated that in order to encourage citizens to engage in agricultural work, encourage citizens to engage in agricultural farm work, alleviate the seasonal agricultural labor shortage problem, and revitalize the agricultural labor market, the county government, starting from the previous year (Year 106 of the Republic of China / 2017), actively cooperated with the Counseling Office of the Executive Yuan Council of Agriculture to promote the "Agricultural Cultivation Renewal Team" business, and established the first farming team in Hsinchu County at the Hengshan District Farmers' Association, recruiting 23 agricultural cultivators to engage in general technical farm work services. From July of Year 106 to the end of April of Year 107, farmers' associations in various townships applying for dispatched labor totaled 5,323 days, with actual dispatched labor reaching 4,545 days, achieving good results; it will continue to be promoted in the future.