Farmland Lease Cannot Be Renewed? The Handsome Farmer Xiao Jianjian Is So Worried He Could Cry
Little Sword Sword Is About to Cry!
The handsome farmer Little Sword Sword, who turns the bittersweet life of farming into amusing comics online to rally support for Taiwan, China's agriculture, is anxious!
It is not because the rice he grows cannot be sold, but because some self-interested legislators in the Legislative Yuan are obstructing reform of the fallow land policy, leaving agricultural policy unclear, lowering landowners' willingness to rent out farmland, and leaving Little Sword Sword facing a shortage of enough farmland to cultivate next year, forcing him into part-time work.
Little Sword Sword, whose real name is Hsieh Ming-chien, saw yesterday that Tainan Shanhua tech farmer Su Chien-chun pointed out that "improper fallow land policy has become a stumbling block for young farmers," and also responded on Facebook with his own personal experience, saying that if the policy of allowing two consecutive fallow periods a year cannot be changed to only one fallow period a year, his rice farming area next year will drop from 15 hectares to only 2 to 3 hectares.
"Farming only 2 to 3 hectares in the field of rice farming cannot be called a professional farmer at all," he wrote.
Little Sword Sword said the current fallow policy subsidizes NT$45,000 per hectare per period; if land is left fallow for two consecutive periods in a year, one can receive NT$90,000, and after deducting the cost of planting green manure crops required by the government, the landowner can actually receive NT$60,000 to NT$80,000 per hectare in fallow subsidies.
In other words, if a farmer wants to rent fallow farmland to expand production area, he must offer at least more than NT$60,000 per hectare per year before the owner of the fallow farmland is barely willing to rent it out, and in the countryside he has seen some farmland owners demand rent higher than NT$90,000, otherwise refusing to rent.
"For rice farming, if the rent is that high, there is almost no profit in farming, and tenant farmers are forced to push crop yields higher, hoping to sell more to make up for rent costs. As a result, they apply a lot of fertilizer, which increases the frequency of rice pests and diseases, and then they apply even more pesticide. In the end, the cost of fertilizer and pesticide eats up the profit, and consumers eat unsafe food," Little Sword Sword said, adding that the fallow policy must be reformed.
If the Fallow Policy Does Not Change, the Path of the Professional Farmer Cannot Continue
Little Sword Sword said rice farming now has thin profits, and one must rely on large-scale production to have any chance of reaching an annual income of NT$1 million. He gave himself as an example: because he uses rational fertilization and reduced pesticide control to improve rice quality, his rice yield per hectare is only about 8,000 to 9,000 Taiwanese jin, less than the 10,000 Taiwanese jin per hectare under conventional farming methods, so in addition to about 3 hectares of his own farmland, he rents more than 10 hectares, farming a total area of 15 hectares.
He went on to say that to handle large-scale farming, he bought agricultural machinery and adopted mechanized farming. At the same time, in order to sell directly and get a good price, he also bought a rice mill, dryer and packaging machine, hoping to provide customers with healthy, high-quality, pesticide-free rice. These agricultural machinery investments cost NT$2 to 3 million, and he is still paying off the loans; without relying on large-scale farming to raise income, he could not repay them at all.
Little Sword Sword said he has benefited from the small-landlord, big-tenant farmer policy, receiving partial subsidies for renting fallow land and paying public grain, which can effectively lower production costs and truly achieve an annual salary of NT$1 million, enabling him to often draw comics that portray farming as an interesting and hopeful image and attract more young people to enter the field. If the consecutive fallow policy is not changed and he can no longer rent land at a reasonable price, he may no longer be able to make people believe that farming is hopeful and promising.
In Fact, Old Farmers Also Reluctant to Leave Land Uncultivated
As for some legislators' criticism that lowering fallow subsidies would harm the rights of old farmers, Little Sword Sword said true old farmers do not want to see farmland left unproductive and overgrown with weeds. He gave as an example a piece of farmland he rents: the landowner is over 80 years old, no longer has the strength to farm, and his children are unwilling to take over; even with the land in fallow status, this octogenarian farmer still goes to a nearby duck farm to collect manure for fertilizer.
Little Sword Sword asked the old farmer why he took such trouble. The old farmer said that although the land is fallow, the soil fertility still must be maintained so that others will be willing to rent it and continue producing. Later, when Little Sword Sword went into farming and joined the small-landlord, big-tenant farmer program to expand production, he rented land from this old farmer.
"You really cannot be lazy. Although the old farmer rented the land to me, he still comes every day to inspect 'my field,' and as soon as he sees weeds sprouting, he scolds me, saying 'how can young people be so lazy,'" Little Sword Sword said with a laugh, adding that although renting land from this old farmer to farm is hard work, the old farmer has maintained the soil fertility very well, the rice grown really is of very good quality, and the old farmer also hopes he will keep renting.
Little Sword Sword finally stressed that if the fallow subsidy policy is not reformed, making him unable to afford to rent enough farmland to maintain large-scale production, causing him to be unable to focus on being a professional farmer and forcing him to take side jobs as a temporary worker, then in the future he will change his title from "Handsome Farmer Little Sword Sword" to "Handsome Temp Worker Boss Little Sword Sword," "the farm machinery I bought will have to sit aside and rust," and "my favorite hoe and bamboo hat… may have to be put away!"
The Following Is Reprinted from the Facebook Fan Page "Little Sword Sword - The Struggle History of a Clueless Farmer" by Hsieh Ming-chien
Recently there is something… I want to share with you a little…
The rice ears at home have gradually turned yellow and ripe~ waiting for harvest, but I feel no joy at all!!
Because… next period's contract is still stuck on the policy change factor and cannot be signed with the landowner…
Among them, the most controversial fallow issue has opinions on both sides!
If the fallow policy cannot be resolved~ I think it will be very hard to sign with the landowner this period!!
The tragic part is~~ my farming area will drop from 15 hectares to only 2~3 hectares~
Not to mention selling rice~ it may have a huge impact even on making a living!!
Farming only 2~3 hectares in the field of rice farming cannot be called a professional farmer at all!!
Because the workload of 2~3 hectares of farmland~ can probably be finished in just one morning!
What to do with the rest of the time???????
So there is more time to find other odd jobs to supplement the household income~
Don't tell me to rent other farmland~ land rent is expensive now~ so expensive that sometimes after renting it you still lose everything~
What is even funnier is that when I returned home to farm before~ I was often laughed at and looked down on~
Now that I have survived the era when I was looked down on~ wanting to be a good farmer is even harder~~
The farm machinery is bought~ in the future, because there is little farmland and low usage rate~ it will probably all sit aside growing grass and rusting!
My favorite hoe and bamboo hat… may have to be put away! (I feel like I can hear them crying)
I may also change my title to:”Handsome Temp Worker Boss Little Sword Sword”!
Some people may think I am exaggerating a bit~
But quite a lot of young farmers, just as I said above, have insufficient rented farmland~ and also work as temporary workers!
If the policy still cannot turn around… stuck… halfway!!
Just like the heartfelt words of all farmers when my dad and the others go to agricultural administration units for meetings: you are on your own!!
(Government units and the agricultural administration units I have contacted, I know you work hard. I hope you will keep pushing on!)
Recommended Reading
Facebook fan page "Little Sword Sword - The Struggle History of a Clueless Farmer"
Improper fallow subsidies turn passionate young farmers into angry youth of a collapsed generation!