Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Baoji Announces Zero-Interest Rate for 3 Years on Young Farmer Startup Loans of Up to 5 Million

Chen Baoji, Minister of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, attended the "Appointment with Young Farmers" forum in the Taichung-Changhua-Nantou region on the 17th, responding to young farmers' need for capital during the startup process; in order to reduce the repayment pressure in the early stage of the loan, he specially announced that interest subsidies would be provided for young farmers under dedicated guidance programs who apply for "Young Farmer Startup Loans," granting zero-interest-rate interest subsidies on amounts of up to 5 million yuan for a period of 3 years. This innovative approach will be a major incentive for young farmers under dedicated guidance programs, and it is hoped that it can truly help young farmers achieve steady operations and expand their business scale.

Understanding Young Farmers' Needs, Pragmatically Assisting Their Growth

The Council of Agriculture stated that, in order to strengthen its connection with young farmers, Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Baoji led relevant department heads on the morning of the 17th to visit Taisheng Farm in Yongjing Township, Changhua County, to inspect the operations of young farmer Ms. Zhan Yating; in the afternoon, at the Changhua County Farmers' Association, he met with about 100 young farmers from the Taichung-Changhua-Nantou region under the theme "Starting Farming at an Auspicious Time, Chasing Dreams in Youth," conducting this year's second "Appointment with Young Farmers" forum via live online broadcast on YouTube (youtube), to promptly understand and respond to young farmers' demands, while also holding an on-site results exhibition; Minister Chen expressed affirmation and encouragement for young farmers' proactive actions and innovative achievements.

The Council of Agriculture explained that, in addition to reporting on the measures and approaches for promoting future planning of guidance for young farmers entering agriculture, this forum also opened the floor for on-site speeches and online questions; more than 30 young farmers spoke on site, and in addition to their pressing need for agricultural operating capital, to which Minister Chen responded by announcing interest subsidies, they also enthusiastically raised questions about land acquisition, marketing channels, profit models, and labor shortages, all of which received immediate responses and explanations; he also instructed the responsible units to actively coordinate and handle these matters, striving to truly assist young farmers' steady growth.

Integrating Guidance Resources, Strengthening Young Farmer Cultivation

Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Baoji stated that "cultivating young farmers" is a key policy item of the Council, and that in the future the Council will more actively integrate relevant policy resources, including providing professional training at the Farmers' Academy, policy-based dedicated agricultural loans, subsidies for facilities and equipment, and farmland banks and other assistance measures, and through the accompaniment of dedicated guidance for young farmers and the operation of local young farmer exchange platforms, will lead young farmers in steady engagement with agriculture, expand business scale and increase income, while gradually improving the agricultural labor structure.

After enthusiastic exchanges of opinions and discussion, the Changhua County Young Farmers Association presented Minister Chen with a work uniform of Changhua County young farmers and a gift box of the shared brand "Young Farmer Dream Field," representing young farmers' dedication to agriculture and expectations for the future, and expressing the hope that the Council of Agriculture can continue to provide assistance and guidance and grow together with young farmers. Minister Chen emphasized that the Council of Agriculture will do its utmost to help young farmers solve the operational problems they encounter, and looks forward to young farmers bringing innovative changes to Taiwan's agriculture.

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