Earning 700,000 a Year from Rice Farming and Still Not Considered a Farmer? Young Farmers Say Agricultural Insurance Rules Are Outdated

The government encourages young people to take up farming, but most young farmers cannot apply for farmer status because they have no land or cannot obtain a land lease. As a result, they cannot join agricultural insurance or farmers' associations, which also means they cannot receive government agricultural subsidies.

In Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, for example, more than 200 new farmers have moved in in recent years, and most of them cannot obtain farmer status. Yilan new farmer Wu Shaowen led nearly 20 new farmers today (the 31st) to the Yuanshan Township Farmers' Association in Yilan County to apply for membership in the farmers' association and agricultural insurance. Wu Shaowen asked whether new farmers without farmland or a lease could obtain farmer status through an "agricultural income certificate" and "receipts for the sale of agricultural products."

The Yuanshan Township Farmers' Association said that without proof of lease, the qualifications simply do not match and an application cannot be made. Zhu Jianwei, director of the Council of Agriculture's Department of Guidance, responded that because agricultural insurance is cheap, many people want to join, so stricter review is needed. However, discussions have already been held with farmers' associations about whether on-site inspections could be used, with the farmers' association guaranteeing that the insured person actually farms. But these discussions are still ongoing, and at this stage insurance can only be taken out in accordance with existing rules, based on written land proof.

Beekeeper: The rule that you cannot join unless you keep at least 100 hives is outdated

In addition, beekeeper Lin Xianzhong also said that he has farmed full-time for 5 years and likes to run an unusual production model. In the beginning he grew rice, and later he gradually began trying beekeeping, indigo dyeing and so on. Lin Xianzhong said that what he does now is all smallholder economy, diversified production and diversified products, but these new types of diversified farmers have no channel to obtain farmer status.

As for beekeeper status, one must be recommended by a member of a beekeeping association to join the association, and the scale of keeping must reach 100 beehives. "But these rules are outdated, and in the face of new forms of agricultural production, the government should revise and review them again," Lin Xianzhong stressed. "We are clearly engaged in agricultural production, but because we do not have farmer status, we cannot apply for related subsidies, and that is what affects us the most."

Switch to proving farmer status with agricultural income? Farmers' association: difficult to implement

Regarding the proof of land lease, which is the hardest thing for Yilan's new farmers to produce, Wu Shaowen also proposed whether it could be changed so that farmer status is obtained only with proof of agricultural income and receipts for the sale of agricultural products. In response, the Yuanshan Township Farmers' Association said that without proof of lease, the qualifications do not match and an application cannot be made; proof of farmer income is only one item in the review, and all materials must be provided for an application to succeed.

The farmers' association stressed that it only handles matters in accordance with the rules, and farmers should go to legislators to address the issue from the legislative side, or raise the issue with the competent authority, the Council of Agriculture, if there is to be any chance of resolving farmer status.

Council of Agriculture: guaranteeing by farmers' associations can be discussed in the future, but no decision has been made yet

Zhu Jianwei, director of the Council of Agriculture's Department of Guidance, responded that proof of lawful land use includes owned land and lease contracts, which is proof of actually farming, and the farmers' association will also go on site to inspect. However, if there is only an oral lease contract, the farmers' association cannot review it, and there are practical difficulties in implementation. Also, because agricultural insurance is much cheaper, many people want to join, but in order to prevent people from stopping farming the next year after joining agricultural insurance, the government reviews more strictly.

Zhu Jianwei stressed that the Council of Agriculture has found that many new farmers cannot obtain farmer status, and has been coordinating with farmers' associations to find ways to overcome this. "But we cannot make things difficult for the reviewers, since they have to be responsible for the farmers whose qualifications they approve." The currently discussed plan is to hope that farmers' associations can conduct on-site inspections every year and guarantee that these farmers continue to farm, but everything is still in the discussion stage, and at present farmer status can only continue to be reviewed in accordance with existing rules.