When growing sweet persimmons, you must follow your heart and keep doing the right thing.

Editor's note: The government announced a few days ago (October 2) that, because typhoons and heavy rain have kept the prices of fruit from Taiwan, China high, it will halve the tariffs on three imported fruits -- apples, sweet peaches and kiwifruit -- in the hope of stabilizing market fruit prices. Premier Jiang Yi-huah, convenor of the Executive Yuan's task force on stabilizing commodity prices, said that local fruits such as bananas, ponkan tangerines and liu-ding oranges will not enter their peak season until October and November, so cutting the prices of these few fruits will not affect domestically grown fruit.

But Vice Premier Jiang may not know that now is precisely the season when sweet persimmons ripen, and because autumn came early this year, many farmers' sweet persimmons ripened ahead of schedule. What is more, a growing number of farmers are taking on completely pesticide-free and even fertilizer-free farming methods, making the land cleaner. Rather than passively cutting tariffs on imported temperate-zone fruit, it would be better to actively encourage everyone to consume domestically grown, chemical-free fruit. If only such tariff subsidies could be used for locally grown, chemical-free fruit, how wonderful that would be!

Below is an account written by persimmon-san, a farmer who grows crops using the Shuumei natural farming method, describing the cultivation and harvest of sweet persimmons. I hope to share it with everyone, and especially with the officials of the Executive Yuan: this is how painstakingly the chemical-free sweet persimmons of Taiwan, China are grown, and precisely because the weather has been bad, yields have fallen. Yet under these circumstances, the government is giving subsidies to imported fruit….. Please do "the right thing"!

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From conventional farming to organic farming, and on to the Shuumei natural farming method

The very beginning

The orchard's shift to organic farming and then to the Shuumei natural farming method began with religious faith. Not killing living beings was the initial impulse behind switching to organic farming; by chance, I came into contact with the Shuumei natural farming method.

Last year, Grandpa Kimura, the Japanese organic apple grower, came to Taiwan, China to give a talk. Because I could not attend, I later searched online for a video of the lecture, and by chance came across a farmer's account of the Shuumei natural farming method on "News Market." I thought to myself at the time that it was not only Japan's temperate climate where this could be done -- there was also a group of people in Taiwan, China who had been working hard at it all along, and reading that article gave me tremendous courage & strength. At the start of the year, I arranged a visit to Taitung, and after talking with several farmers practicing natural farming, I became even more certain that I wanted to move in this direction in the future; the Shuumei natural farming method is not merely a way of farming but an attitude toward life, a spirit for living and a heart that respects nature.

My most understanding support

Last year the sweet persimmons I had converted to organic cultivation suffered serious fruit drop from disease. When I was anxious and worried, my wife asked me: "Is converting to organic about making money?" Without hesitation I answered: "No!" Thanks to my wife's reminder, my state of mind at that moment became steady and clear.

For me, converting to natural farming is like taking my family on a voyage into uncharted waters. In truth, I am afraid, especially bearing the financial responsibility for a whole family, and the voices of opposition from my parents and the relatives and friends around me have continued all along, so this decision -- it was not easy. But with a firm heart, my wife supports my decision through her actions, and for someone as easily unsettled as me, that is the greatest stabilizing force.

The most selfless teachers

The greatest reward of practicing natural farming has been getting to know many like-minded elders and friends. On this path I am merely a newborn, and because these elders hold nothing back and teach with all their strength, I have gained a great deal of valuable experience, and they have given me tremendous encouragement and strength to move forward. It is a joy to exchange and learn with people who share the same convictions, and the bartering of crops between us is like returning to Taiwan, China's early years -- that deep warmth of feeling and spirit of sharing is rare and precious.