Nongqin No. 1 gritted its teeth and endured the credit pressure, forging a path in farming that turned hardship into sweetness.
"Big Eyes!! Hold still, okay? I'll grab this bug on the ground first, then it's the one on your head next!!"
Most people selling products like to find a pretty face to endorse them, so hiring a figurine to tell the story behind farm products is a rare sight. In Taibao City, Chiayi County, the brothers Yu Shih-feng and Yu Shih-lang, owners of the "Nongqin No. 1" farm, which grows cherry tomatoes and Oriental melons under protected cultivation, use "figurine storytelling" to convey the hardships and joys of farming. With a light, humorous writing style and photographic composition, they draw the attention of consumers, and with just over two fen of protected farmland, they have achieved annual sales of over one million yuan.
Lin Liang-mao, director of the Chiayi County Agriculture Department, said that the Council of Agriculture encourages young people to take up farming, but there are many cases like "Nongqin No. 1" that fail to meet the qualifications for agricultural loans, highlighting that many agricultural-related laws and regulations are outdated. If the Council of Agriculture hopes to attract more new blood to strengthen agriculture, it should support new farmers through the agricultural finance system, assist with financing and improve self-liquidation, and think about how to improve the overall structure of agricultural operations, rather than handing out agricultural subsidies across the board.
Interested friends can visit the Facebook page "Nongqin No. 1 Fan Page" to see how the figurines tell you about farming matters and share farming life.