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Mayor Cheng: Providing professionals, technologies, capital, and brands

Release date:2016-08-23

Mayor Cheng: Providing professionals, technologies, capital, and brands support to revolutionize agriculture and support youth agriculture

While attending the press conference for the “INNOVATE x VENTURE Youth Entrepreneurship” press conference on August 23rd 2016, Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-Tsan expressed that the “young farmers in Taoyuan” were the main theme for the August issue for the INNOVATE x VENTURE Taoyuan Youth Can Magazine released by the Department of Youth Affairs. The magazine provided an in-depth report on the principles and essences of friendly farming, innovative entrepreneurship, circular economy, and technological production with the hope of revolutionizing farming and initiating a wave of new farming practices in Taiwan. The Taoyuan City Government will provide young farmers with support in professionals, technologies, capital, and brands to create more youth entrepreneurship role models and establish “small but successful” farming ventures in Taoyuan.

Mayor Cheng pointed out the desperate need for young farmers in the agricultural sector as farmers are becoming older. Young farmers can help revolutionize the sector and introduce new ideas that included: (1) friendly farming to achieve sustainable land use and sustainable development; (2) technological production to enhance the safety and efficiency of food and production capacity of high tech farming; (3) circular economy to help increase the efficiency of energy reliance of farmed lands; (4) creative entrepreneurship to support youth industries.

Mayor Cheng mentioned that professionals, technologies, capital, and brands are required to revolutionize agriculture. For professionals, the city government has established a “Youth Farmer’s College,” providing apprenticeship subsidies as well as entrepreneurship funds to achieve a startup success rate of 60%. For technology, experts in tea, animal rearing, and rice farming were invited to support the young farmers. To meet the need for capital and provide youth farmers with greater financial support, the city government released a number of youth entrepreneurship loans that include credit assurances and interest subsidies. Finally, to establish successful brands, the Traceable Agricultural Product (TAP) system and food safety assurance labels have been introduced so that each farm product is provided with its own unique and Corporate Identity System (CIS).
Mayor Cheng expressed that the Taoyuan City Government will be establishing a pilot run of the “Agriculture Expo” in 2017 and formally open it to the public in 2018. The expo shall integrate new concepts, experiences, and technologies in the agricultural sector and farming villages. The Council of Agriculture also approved the application to establish a Lotus Garden Recreational Farming Park in Guanyin District. The city government aims to establish 100 recreational farms and 50 tourism factories to improve the potential of this area’s agricultural and tourism sectors.

Mayor Cheng also mentioned the popularity of the “Pokémon GO” game and how he appointed Department of Youth Affairs to work with the Department of Cultural Affairs and district offices to provide safe Pokémon GO venues that would not disturb the peace of the surrounding residences. These sites include Zhongzheng Park, Galaxy Square, Sanmin Riverside Park, and Yanping Park. Street performers and student music groups also gave the “Pokémon GO Musical” while offering youths with performance opportunities and encouraging them to partake in outdoor activities and participate art and cultural activities.

Today’s attendants included Taoyuan City Councilors Chou Yu-Chin, Tsai Yung-Fang, and Peng Chun-Hao, Deputy Secretary-General Chiu Chun-Ming, Director-general Chen Chia-Chun of the Department of Youth Affairs, Director-general Hsieh Chang-Sheng of the Department of Agriculture, Director-general Chen Hsi-Chen of the Department of Land Administration, Director-general Chu Sung-Wei of the Department of Economic Development, Chairperson Liu Kun-I of the Research and Evaluation Commission, and Taoyuan Youth Farmer’s Society Founder Wu Cheng-Fu and Chairperson Chen Shih-Hsien.
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