The Council of Agriculture minister hopes the problem can be solved by the introduction of outreach services
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/03/24
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (2nd from left), Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan (2nd from right) (By Central News Agency)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan (張麗善) petitioned Taiwan’s agriculture and labor authorities to introduce migrant workers to solve the problem of labor shortages in Taiwan’s agricultural sector, Central News Agency (CNA) reported on Friday.
While accompanying Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) on a tour to inspect the damage of garlic and tea in the county due to the warm weather in the winter, Chang asked the minister to expedite cash compensation for the damaged plants and open Taiwan’s agricultural sector to migrant workers, CNA reported.
Chang said that 49.7% of the county’s population work for the agricultural sector, and that the county has the highest agricultural output in the country, with annual outputs exceeding NT$70 billion (about US$2.3 billion) three years in a row from 2015 to 2017, the news outlet reported .
However, the aging agricultural labor force in the county has not been able to sustain the harsh working conditions of exposing themselves to a scorching sun or cold temperatures, causing concern that the agricultural labor force shortage could lower the county’s agricultural output, Chang said, according to CNA. [FULL STORY]
