Hengchun's onion harvest faces a labor shortage, and the withdrawal of ROC military troops puts the reputation of the onion kingdom to the test

With the upcoming all-volunteer military system, the scene of ROC soldiers sweating under the Hengchun sun as they harvest onions may become history within 2 years. In recent years, the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station has introduced Japanese onion harvesters, hoping to make up for the shortage of manpower, but the Checheng and Hengchun farmers' associations are still taking a wait-and-see approach.

Onion farmers say that Taiwan's farmland is fragmented and small, averaging only 1 or 2 fen of land, and the terrain is uneven, so the efficiency of harvesters is not high. "And one machine costs 4 to 5 million, which small farmers cannot afford." The Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station says it has independently developed small machinery costing under 100,000 yuan, and the Japanese model is expected to be improved by the end of this year, with field trials to begin at year-end. Related subsidies can be discussed further, in a bid to preserve the local sweet flavor.

With insufficient manpower, military-assisted harvesting may become history the year after next