Ratoon rice rejected by public grain purchase, Taichung City offers 12,000 subsidy, farmers struggle to decide

General News Jan 1, 1970By Emily Carter 0 views

Whether or not to grow "ratoon rice" is a question that has been circling in many rice farmers' minds these past few days.

For this year's second rice crop, the Council of Agriculture, in order to improve the quality of domestically produced rice, will no longer purchase ratoon rice, while the Taichung City Government has done the opposite, subsidizing farmers who continue to grow ratoon rice with 12,000 yuan per hectare. Many Taichung rice farmers have decided to continue growing ratoon rice. The Agriculture and Food Agency recommends switching the second crop to green manure crops, or imported substitute crops such as soybeans and hard corn.

Starting this year, public grain purchases will no longer accept ratoon rice

The rice field being harvested in the photo: the field owner, Brother Wu, decided to continue growing ratoon rice this year as well. He believes the yield of ratoon rice will not be too bad, and it can also save initial costs. Photo/Yang Zhenyu

The most recent rice crop is being harvested one after another, and whether to use ratoon rice for the second crop will soon be decided. Li Qingtian, a rice farmer and rice seedling planting operator in Qingshui, Taichung, believes that ratoon rice does not taste good and has low yield, because the rice plants grow at different speeds: "some are already grandfathers, some have just become fathers, and some are still just grandchildren." He believes re-planting seedlings is necessary to ensure the quality of the second rice crop.

Another Qingshui rice farmer, Liu Jing, believes that growing ratoon rice can save 3,500 yuan per fen of land, reducing farmers' burden. Moreover, ratoon rice grows more than ten days earlier than second-crop rice from re-planted seedlings, which can avoid the northeast monsoon; even if it encounters the monsoon, the rice heads are already more stable and are less affected.

Wang Junzhi, who grows rice using natural farming methods in Qingshui, is just over fifty this year and counts as "young" among local rice farmers. In previous years he also used ratoon rice. "Ratoon rice saves trouble. It does not require re-plowing, raising seedlings, or transplanting, and it should best fit environmental principles. The problem is how to maintain the taste?"

Wang Junzhi believes that the quality of ratoon rice varies, and a basic survey should be done to study how to improve the quality of ratoon rice. Using pesticides and chemical fertilizers sacrifices the environment and the taste of rice, so research should be done on how to use natural methods, rather than only rejecting purchases or increasing subsidies as the two options.

"If the technology for growing ratoon rice can maintain quality and yield while saving initial costs, why not carry it out?" Wang Junzhi believes the reason is that the government has a guaranteed purchase price for rice, so "farmers have no choice but to watch the government's expression."

More than twenty years ago, the government promoted ratoon rice, telling farmers that Taikeng No. 8 "has strong stems that are not easily lodged, good fertilizer efficiency, and strong ratooning ability, making it a variety suitable for ratoon rice cultivation." Now the policy has turned, and public grain purchases reject ratoon rice, emphasizing that "in response to the trend of international trade liberalization, the quality of domestically produced rice must be improved to meet the consumption needs of the people." Every time the policy turns and continues to be promoted, farmers must see clearly and recognize it before making decisions.

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Ratoon rice rejected by public grain purchase, Taichung City offers 12,000 subsidy, farmers struggle to decide

Starting this year, public grain purchases will no longer accept ratoon rice

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