In 1946, shortly after the retrocession of Taiwan, the population of the entire province was approximately 6.25 million people. In order to feed such a large number of mouths, food-producing concerns pondered day and night over the problem of how to increase production. With the present population of the island at 19 million, people have shifted their worries to the surplus of rice and the detrimental effects of the subsequent low prices on farmers.
"Twenty and thirty years ago, the production of rice made up more than 75 percent of the total agricultural produce of Taiwan. In those days the word 'agriculture' was just about synonymous with 'rice,'" says Wang Yu-chao, director of the Council of Agriculture under the Executive Yuan. "The 'agriculture' that we speak of today has since been broadened in scope to include the diverse areas of farming, forestry, fishing, and animal husbandry." Even in the more limited sense of crop production, such products as vegetables, fruit, cut flowers, and other similar standouts among the new generation of farm produce have gradually risen from their previous positions as mere supporting actors to leading roles.
Seeds introduced from abroad and new techniques of hybridization have not only brought to Taiwan a copious new source of vegetables, they have also opened up expansive new horizons in exports. In 1977 vegetable exports accounted for thirty percent of the total agricultural exports of Taiwan. Of this thirty percent, the bulk of the weight was carried by asparagus and mushrooms, the volume of their export from Taiwan being the highest of any region in the world.
An important improvement relating to the production of fruit has been the adjustment of harvesting seasons. These improvements gained their original strength from the observations and experimentation of fruit farmers. Taking wax apples as an example, growers discovered that after the passing of a typhoon, when the limbs of the trees were broken and the trunks were left standing in water, there surprisingly appeared the flourishing buds of new branches. The next winter, long before the usual summer fruit-bearing season, the trees blossomed and began producing fruit that was redder and sweeter than ever before. Today, consumers' winter fruit selection is no longer limited to tangerines and oranges; what were originally strictly summer fruits such as grapes, wax apples, custard apples, pineapples, and carambolas have all gradually made their way into the winter fruit stands.
Cut flower enterprises were a relative late-comer to the market, but already seem to hold the promise of brilliant future success. The Council of Agriculture began promoting the cut flower industry in 1980, and by 1985 the land devoted to raising flowers had increased from 1,200 to 3,000 hectares. Although these figures may not seem particularly startling, their economic value should not be underestimated. "The unit value of production for cut flowers is to be calculated by the p'ing" (a Chinese measure equivalent to 6 square feet), rather than the hectare, says Li Chin-lung, director of the Horticultural Division at the Council of Agriculture.
Where the development of cut flower enterprises and expansion of the flower market have provided a new type of leisure activity, rising interest in bird-watching activities can be seen as a reflection of shifts in forest management policy. Early forestry on Taiwan provided great amounts of wood and an abundant source of income for the national treasury, though in recent years its proportionate contribution to the total value of agricultural output has decreased steadily from 6.5 percent in 1952 to one percent in 1985. In contrast to the past, the important points of emphasis in the work of the Forestry Department have now become water and land conservation in mountain areas, forest recreation centers, and the preservation of natural scenery.
Aquiculture is an up-and-coming field in the agricultural realm of Taiwan, the export of eels and grass shrimp drawing special attention. The eel-raising industry began to prosper within Taiwan during the 1960's. Ninety percent of the eels produced here are exported to Japan, with the remainder being divided between local consumption and export to Hong Kong. The peak of production was reached in 1979, when Taiwan turned out 20,000 metric tons of full-grown eels, bringing in US$170 million worth of foreign exchange. Later, because of repeated failure in attempts at artificial reproduction, resources in young eels became sharply limited. Because the local market was already full to the point that supply had outstripped demand, the price of eel gradually decreased.
Grass shrimp are a more recent strong point in the aquiculture of Taiwan. Land devoted to raising grass shrimp accounts for roughly ten percent of the total aquicultural land area, while the production value of grass shrimp has reached 26 percent of all aquicultural exports. The figures which are especially astounding in the development of this industry show that while in 1981 there were only 69 metric tons of grass shrimp consumed in Taiwan, by 1985 that number had increased to 14,200.
The animal husbandry industry on Taiwan has undergone a period of uninterrupted growth over the last thirty or forty years, especially as pertains to the raising of pigs and chickens. The export of pork has become a great earner of foreign exchange. With frozen pork heading the list of exports to Japan in 1986, earnings in this sector topped US$480 million, an increase of 27 percent over 1985. As regards chicken farming, the establishment of exemplary chicken-raising villages, the administration of training courses in feeding and breeding management, and the control of chicken plague have all worked together to effect the appearance one after another of large-scale chicken farms. The present annual consumption of poultry on Taiwan has reached 18 kilograms per capita, while eggs are consumed at a rate of 197 per person yearly, with chickens supplying the majority of these products.
[Picture Caption]
Arriving at this kind of flourishing agricultural vitality requires an investment of much sweat and toil.
Of all these various varieties of tomatoes, which is the easiest to cultivate? Which is the most delicious? (courtesy of Known You Seed Co.)
The successful dispersal of fruit-bearing periods has not only lengthened the harvest season, it has also enriched the selection of winter fruits, (photo by Vincent Chang)
The cut flower industry is an up-and-coming new arrival on the Taiwan agricultural scene.
Due to their especially tasty meat and the added value of their down, these hybridized white ducks are quickly making their mark on both foreign and domestic markets. (photo by Vincent Chang)
Improvements in hybridization techniques and new, improved species of pig have opened wide new horizons for foreign trade. (photo by Arthur Jeng)
Going from replenishing stocks with sea fish to actually raising fish in the sea is one new direction in the development of the fishing industry on Taiwan. (photo by Vincent Chang)
Of all these various varieties of tomatoes, which is the easiest to cultivate? Which is the most delicious? （courtesy of Known You Seed Co.）
The successful dispersal of fruit-bearing periods has not only lengthened the harvest season, it has also enriched the selection of winter fruits, （photo by Vincent Chang）
The cut flower industry is an up-and-coming new arrival on the Taiwan agricultural scene.
Due to their especially tasty meat and the added value of their down, these hybridized white ducks are quickly making their mark on both foreign and domestic markets. （photo by Vincent Chang）
Improvements in hybridization techniques and new, improved species of pig have opened wide new horizons for foreign trade. （photo by Arthur Jeng）
Going from replenishing stocks with sea fish to actually raising fish in the sea is one new direction in the development of the fishing industry on Taiwan. （photo by Vincent Chang）
