Subsidies for small agricultural machinery increased, with the Council of Agriculture covering the full amount before the end of the year

The Council of Agriculture (COA) is cooperating with the Executive Yuan's "consumption stimulus measures" plan, subsidizing one third of the cost of small farm machinery. On the very first day of applications, word spread that the quota was gone in seconds. Many farmers' associations reported that the number of applicants overwhelmed the system, and some farmers were placed on a waiting list as far back as number 600 or more, sparking public complaints. Now the COA is raising the stakes: as long as farmers complete their purchase application before the end of the year, all of them will be processed. When a farmers' association general manager heard the news, he exclaimed, "Great!" -- finally resolving the problem of farmers being unable to secure a spot.

COA: Those who complete purchase applications by the end of this year will all be processed

Since the COA launched the "Subsidy Program for the Purchase of Small Farm Machinery and Implements" on November 7, farmers need only bring their ID card and provide proof of actual farming to apply for a subsidy of up to 1/3 of the cost to purchase small farm machinery -- truly the "biggest red envelope" given to farmers before the new year.

Unexpectedly, from the November 7 launch, in just over two weeks the cumulative amount reached 256 million yuan, exceeding the originally planned budget of 200 million yuan. Now the COA is adding more funds: as long as farmers complete their purchase applications before December 31 of this year, they will all be processed.

Su Mao-hsiang, chief secretary of the Agriculture and Food Agency, said, "The current statistics include those who are 'on the waiting list.'" He said optimistically that based on observations over the two weeks since the launch, the rate of increase will not be as "drastic" as when applications first opened, and no "cap" will be set for now.

Chung Ching-hui, general manager of the Meinong Farmers' Association in Kaohsiung City, exclaimed "Great!" when he heard the news. Because the policy gives priority to farmers with organic certification, traceability certification, or GAP (Good Agricultural Practice) labels, and in Meinong many farmers hold these qualifications, "the queue never ends, and farmers who didn't make the list even accused us of a 'black box,' but our information is truly very transparent."

Currently, Meinong's waiting list has reached 640 people, mostly applying for small sprayers and cultivators. "For farmers, these are all very convenient machines to use," which is why the wave of applicants has been so enthusiastic.

COA Calls on Farmers' Associations to Reopen Applications

Chan Kuang-hsin, general manager of the Zhutang Township Farmers' Association in Changhua County, said that when applications first opened, villagers from all 14 villages came. "But the allocated amount was only 600,000 yuan, and within 1 hour the quota was filled. Even counting the waiting list, about 2 million yuan would be needed to cover it."

As for some farmers' associations in certain areas that stopped accepting waiting-list applications, Su Mao-hsiang said there is still time before the end of the year, and as long as everything is completed within the timeframe, all can be processed. Therefore, the COA also specifically calls on farmers' associations to continue accepting farmer applications, and asks farmers to complete the purchase, delivery, and subsidy claim processes within 1 month.

Su Mao-hsiang stated that the funding for the entire subsidy program comes from the Rural Regeneration Fund, and follow-up inspections will be sent to check whether there are cases of applications being approved but left idle and unused.