Agriculture and Food Agency increases subsidies: five eco-friendly fertilizer materials given out generously
Text by the Agriculture and Food Agency
According to surveys by agricultural research and improvement stations, farmers in Taiwan, China, in pursuit of high crop yields, commonly apply chemical fertilizers in excessive amounts, causing negative effects such as soil acidification, reduced fertilizer efficiency and environmental pollution, and even harming crops. Organic fertilizers and green manure, which come from the remains of animals and plants, are a way of recycling resources and help dispose of domestic agricultural waste, reducing environmental pollution. Besides supplying the nutrients crops need to grow, they also improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil and its microbial environment, raising fertilizer use efficiency - truly achieving several goals at once.
To promote the development of organic and eco-friendly agriculture in Taiwan, China, the Agriculture and Food Agency is actively advancing various measures such as subsidies for eco-friendly fertilizer materials, including strengthening the promotion of organic fertilizers, microbial fertilizers, green manure crops and farmland soil improvement incentives, and guiding farmers toward rational fertilization, hoping to recycle and reuse various resources, reduce domestic chemical fertilizer use, and guide farmers toward eco-friendly cultivation methods, balancing stable agricultural production with the maintenance of sustainable environmental development.
Launching 5 green fertilizer subsidy measures, farmers are welcome to apply
The Northern Region Branch of the Agriculture and Food Agency explains that three subsidy items were newly added this year (2017), including microbial fertilizers, farmland fertility improvement guidance and organic-matter-containing compound fertilizers. The subsidy standard for existing organic fertilizers has also been raised, and rational fertilization lectures and the promotion of planting green manure crops continue. There are five guidance measures in total:
(1) Incentive for applying organic-matter-containing compound fertilizers:
Farmers are encouraged to apply organic-matter-containing compound fertilizers with added peat (rich in highly humified humic acid) to replace traditional chemical fertilizers and improve fertilizer use efficiency. A transport subsidy of 500 yuan per metric ton is provided; farmers buying fertilizer at farmers' associations or fertilizer stores enjoy the price discount without needing to apply separately.
(2) Incentive for applying microbial fertilizers:
Farmers are encouraged to apply microbial fertilizers recommended in the announcements on the Agriculture and Food Agency website to improve and balance the soil microbial community and promote crop nutrient use. Half of the purchase amount is subsidized, up to a maximum of 5,000 yuan per hectare.
(3) In conjunction with the promotion of rational fertilization, farmers are incentivized to carry out farmland soil improvement:
Council of Agriculture research stations hold rational fertilization guidance lectures, technical consultation services and free soil fertility testing and analysis in various locations, and based on the test results provide farmers with recommended soil improvement materials to remedy overly acidic or overly alkaline farmland soil or supplement trace elements. One third of the purchase amount is subsidized, up to a maximum of 3,000 yuan per hectare.
(4) Raising the subsidy standard for applying organic fertilizers, by an increase of 1/3 to 1/2, eligible recipients:
1. Organic and eco-friendly farming farmers: applying fertilizers recommended by the Agriculture and Food Agency for organic agriculture, originally 8 metric tons of fertilizer applied per hectare with a subsidy of 20,000 yuan; this year raised to 10 metric tons of fertilizer applied per hectare with a subsidy of 30,000 yuan.
2. General conventional farming farmers: applying domestic organic fertilizers recommended by the Agriculture and Food Agency, with 6 metric tons of fertilizer applied per hectare, the subsidy is raised from 9,000 yuan to 12,000 yuan.
(5) Promoting the planting of green manure crops in winter fallow:
Farmers are encouraged to plant green manure crops such as rapeseed, Egyptian clover and hairy vetch in winter fallow to increase soil organic matter content, promote the recycling and reuse of crop nutrients, and also provide functions such as rural landscape and recreation. Farmers may take their cultivated land area information and apply directly to the farmers' association in the township where the land is located; green manure seeds are supplied by the Council of Agriculture's Seed Improvement and Propagation Station.
The Northern Region Branch of the Agriculture and Food Agency states that if farmers need any of the above subsidies, they should apply to the township guidance units such as the farmers' association or public office where the land is located, making good use of the service resources provided by the government to increase crop yield and quality while also treating our ecological environment in an eco-friendly way, maintaining farmland fertility, and promoting sustainable agricultural development.