Dear Ying-jeou, would you hear me out?

Foreword:

The government drafts a policy to subsidize young people returning home to farm with the minimum wage for two years. I cannot figure out what the actual purpose of this policy is. It spends a great deal of taxpayers' money, and then what? Two years later, with no subsidy, everything returns to square one. If that is the case, I would rather this money be spent elsewhere. So I wrote this article under my own name, hoping he will see it. I know I am naive to think that writing something like this can change anything, but this is the only thing I can do.

The original text was published at Fengchao Organic Pineapple, and there is also a great song to give the president, Dear Mr. President.

I am Yang Yu-fan, a young person who returned home to farm. I am twenty-six years old this year, growing organic pineapple in Guanmiao, Tainan.

The plan to subsidize new farmers is like chemical fertilizer: it can have a temporary effect and even attract some aspiring young people to return, but in the long run it is lacking in benefit. The industry is not lively enough; two years later, when the subsidy is taken back, everyone returns to square one, giving another blow to young people full of passion. Those of us investing in farming now are quite clear about the current state of the broader environment and are already mentally prepared to face the difficult battles ahead. We are not looking at the present, but at the future. We hope the government can provide a sound environment, and then naturally there will be a future.

Dear Ying-jeou, have you ever farmed? Perhaps you have, but you certainly have never accompanied a crop as it grows. We new farmers are like the crops you have planted. I hope you will spend a bit more time creating a good environment, a complete industrial structure, without pesticides, without chemical fertilizers. Give us time, and in due course sweet fruit will naturally be produced. We are still young; we can wait.

Of course, such remarks will certainly offend some in traditional agriculture. I can only stand from the position of a "new farmer" to share my views with you. How to choose between the two and strike a balance will require you to put in a bit more thought. Thank you for your hard work.