In order to boost Taiwan's domestic food production, the government is encouraging farmers to adopt a crop rotation system to improve crop variety and increase overall productivity. And while agricultural experts generally applaud such an idea, it has been observed that the current policy of farming subsidies may be the biggest hurdle to the new plan.

Although the prices of rice are low, farmers would get a subsidy at 45,000 NTD for each hectare of fallow farm.

Given the subsidy program, some farmers would rather pick up the subsidy than do farming work.

As a result, 240,000 hectares of farmland are idle each year and the government needs to pay a fortune to subsidize farmers.

Some scholars believe the decision of farmers in Wanbao to grow wheat may explore another opportunity for Taiwan's agricultural industry.

Given the lack of diverse crop varieties of Taiwan and the recent global price hike of crops, Council for Agriculture grew concerned over the phenomenon and plans to promote convertible husbandry, encouraging farmers to grow crops such as corn, soybean and others.

While farmers approve of the government's plan, they wonder whether or not they are protected with the subsidy for crop alternation.

Some farmers believe the government should let the market decide the crops since the prices of food grains are higher than that of rice, making it feasible for convertible husbandry.

Scholars believe the government's policy of paying to keep the farms idle is ridiculous and should be changed.

On the Monday meeting for inter-departmental agency for food sufficiency,

Council for Agriculture will try to come up with ideas for a new system to readjust traditional farming concepts to cope with the growing challenge of food shortage.

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