Home › General News › Article

Compensation for halted irrigation by crop is announced, only actual cultivators can receive it! Chen Chi-chung: It will be cross-checked with the real-name fertilizer system; landowners should not apply

General News 0 views
Compensation for halted irrigation by crop is announced, only actual cultivators can receive it! Chen Chi-chung: It will be cross-checked with the real-name fertilizer system; landowners should not apply

In response to the controversy triggered by the halted irrigation in Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli, the chairman of the Council of Agriculture led supervisors at all levels to Taoyuan yesterday afternoon (the 21st) to hold a forum titled "Join Hands Against Drought, Overcome Difficulties Together," attended by more than one hundred farmers from various parts of Taoyuan and Hsinchu. Chairman Chen Chi-chung said he would absolutely make sure all actual cultivators receive compensation, "otherwise everyone can come to the Council of Agriculture to protest to me."

Chen Chi-chung hopes farmers understand that halting irrigation was an unavoidable decision, but he has already fought for the highest compensation for farmers (photo / Yang Yu-yun)

Vegetable compensation amounts announced; all whose crops are damaged will receive generous subsidies

Tsai Sheng-fu, director-general of the Irrigation Agency, explained that no typhoon hit Taiwan this year and the plum rain brought only 60% of the rainfall of the past, and the reason the halted irrigation was concentrated in the Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli area is that rainfall from June to October this year at Shimen and Techi reservoirs both hit new lows for the record, and effective storage capacity is also not optimistic: Shimen Reservoir has only 45.2% left, and Techi Reservoir is even as low as 20.6%.

Tsai Sheng-fu said that to complete the second rice crop in the Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli area, 130 million tons of water are needed, but the reservoirs in Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli hold only 120 million tons of water; since the water source cannot fulfill the task of supplying irrigation, the Council of Agriculture had no choice but to make this difficult decision.

"The government has no way to influence Heaven's decision on whether it rains or not, but it absolutely can help farmers get through this difficult time and maintain their livelihoods," Tsai Sheng-fu said. At the forum he once again explained how to apply for the compensation. In addition, apart from the already announced compensation amounts for citrus, sweet potato, soybean and forage grass, he also announced compensation standards for more crops, with details in the table below. For crops not listed in the table, he also urged farmers to submit applications; as long as damage is confirmed, the government will provide generous compensation.

At the same time, Tsai Sheng-fu also reiterated that the halted-irrigation subsidy is issued to actual cultivators. Since applications opened 4 days ago, 10,935 farmers and more than 5,000 hectares of rice fields have applied, accounting for about 30% of the damaged area. To help farmers receive the compensation as quickly as possible, the Irrigation Agency, besides mobilizing colleagues from New Taipei City to come support the Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli area, will also hold roving acceptance sessions on selected dates to make it convenient for farmers to apply.

Compensation standards for halted irrigation (source / Council of Agriculture)

Compensation applications to be cross-checked with the real-name fertilizer system; landowners must not apply

Chairman Chen Chi-chung said that as the head of the Council of Agriculture, his task is to take care of all farmers. "Of course I could go bang on the table at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and say irrigation must not be halted. But if the disaster continues to worsen, everyone will only be able to receive the natural disaster subsidy of 18,000 per hectare." He said that since the disaster is already a fact, he should help everyone fight for better compensation. "Of course I know that 140,000 cannot truly make up for everyone's actual input, let alone the emotional investment, but I hope everyone understands that this really was an unavoidable decision."

Chen Chi-chung also urged landowners that the halted-irrigation compensation is aimed at actual cultivators, and after the workstation accepts an application it will be cross-checked with the real-name fertilizer system; if a landowner has never bought fertilizer, then please do not claim to be an actual cultivator. He emphasized repeatedly, again and again, that he will definitely, by all means, absolutely make sure every actual cultivator receives compensation.

Farmers' suggestions: integrate systems, repair water channels, and share the hardship of domestic water use in Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan

The forum was open for farmers to express their views. Taoyuan young farmer Chuang Yu-lai said he was speaking on behalf of farmers in the Xinwu, Yangmei and Hukou area, and he blamed the Council of Agriculture for halting irrigation just like that, giving those affected no chance to voice an opinion at all; such a heavy blow kept farmers awake for days. He also pointed out that the acceptance standards of workstations vary from place to place, and some farmers were rejected because they did not know the landowner's ID number.

Farmer Hsu Tung-chuan suggested that the irrigation system data is from three years ago, and if it could be integrated with the agriculture and food system, the application process would be much simpler, and it could even be combined with rice insurance. At the same time, he suggested that next year's fallow subsidy could give landowners a little less, and move part of the funds to let farmers switch to drought-tolerant crops. "If climate change is already the norm, should we respond in advance?" Hsu Tung-chuan asked.

Related Articles