Taiwan Sugar Corporation Releases 94 Hectares of Farmland, Council of Agriculture Identifies 5,000 Hectares Planned for Open Lease

Farmland in Taiwan is astronomically expensive, often starting at tens of millions per hectare. To help young farmers obtain land, the Council of Agriculture signed a memorandum of cooperation with Taiwan Sugar Corporation. In the first phase, 94 hectares of land and 16 greenhouses are being released at preferential rents for young farmers, with 200 hectares of farmland to be released later to benefit more farmers. Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung stated that in addition to Taiwan Sugar Corporation's land, the Council of Agriculture will operate a "Farmland Lease Platform," encouraging more landowners to release land through measures such as subsidies. An initial 5,000 hectares have been identified, with planning details expected to be proposed within one month.

Taiwan Sugar Corporation: Releasing Land for Young Farmers to Lease, or Adopting Contract Farming Models

Taiwan Sugar Corporation Chairman Huang Yu-cheng stated that to provide farmland for young farmers to cultivate, the first phase will release Taiwan Sugar Corporation's own farms, including Maguang, Huwei, and Douliu in Yunlin; Shanhua, Xinhua, Hushan, and Guantian in Tainan; and Yanchao in Kaohsiung, totaling 94.1 hectares of farmland and 16 greenhouses, offered to young farmers at preferential rents.

Huang stated that in addition to providing land for lease, young farmers will also be recruited to settle in organic farms and become contract farming partners of Taiwan Sugar Corporation. Through supplying ingredients for school lunches, farmers' markets, and other means of building marketing networks, the corporation will work with young farmers to create a new agriculture that can transform land culture.

As for the qualifications of farmers eligible to lease, Su Meng-lan, Deputy Director of the Council of Agriculture's Counseling Division, stated that the 94 hectares released in the first phase will initially target the Top 100 Young Farmers and young farmers counseled by Tainan, Yunlin, and Kaohsiung counties and cities, with priority given to friendly and organic agriculture, though not limited to these. Detailed selection mechanisms and regulations are still under discussion and are expected to be proposed by the end of May.

Farmland Lease Platform Expected to Release 5,000 Hectares of Farmland for Rent

Chen Chi-chung stated that the average price of farmland in Taiwan exceeds 30 million per hectare, even reaching as high as 60 million, making it arguably the most expensive farmland in the world. Buying land to cultivate oneself will be nearly impossible in the future. In addition to Taiwan Sugar Corporation releasing land, the Council of Agriculture will promote a "Farmland Lease Platform." An initial 5,000 hectares of farmland have been identified that are currently not being cultivated and can be used immediately. Through subsidizing landowners, for example 30,000 to 50,000 per hectare per year, a large amount of land will be released for young farmers to lease.

Chen stated that promoting the "Farmland Lease Platform" aims not only to solve the dilemma of young farmers having no land to use, but also to allow landowners to not be afraid of long-term leases due to the shadow of the "375 Rent Reduction" through a government-operated model. At the same time, through the operation of this platform, future government industrial subsidies can be directly allocated to the actual cultivators who lease the land, allowing policies to truly care for the farming community.

Wang Yu-chen, Section Chief of the Farmland Utilization Section of the Council of Agriculture's Planning Division, stated that this plan is being inventoried by the Agriculture and Food Agency, and specific details will be announced in the future.

Farmers: Stable Land Enables Stable Production

Young farmer Hsieh Ping-yin from Guiren stated that he and several other young farmers rent land from Taiwan Sugar Corporation for farming. Because the land is stable, they can plan production processes steadily without worrying about being forced to move again after getting started. "We all came back unemployed, and we don't want to be unemployed again," Hsieh Ping-yin said emotionally. Farmers also hope for good advancement channels, to gradually establish complete equipment and production lines, so that the area can expand from 5 hectares step by step, enabling planned production and order negotiations with distribution channels.

Lin Chien-yu, Chairman of the Tainan Young Farmers Association, stated that he welcomes Taiwan Sugar Corporation releasing good farmland for young farmers to settle in, eliminating worries about landowners raising rents or reclaiming land to farm themselves upon discovering that farming can be profitable. With a corporation providing land and distribution channels, farmers can focus on production.