Turning it over to the next generation
The reality is that Japan’s diet has become quite Westernized, and the country has a huge demand for iceberg lettuce. But every year from November to March, there is a gap in domestic supplies of iceberg, so that large amounts have to be imported, almost all of which formerly came from the United States.
Nevertheless, shipping in lettuce all the way from the US is not only costly; it also greatly reduces freshness. By switching to lettuce grown in nearby Taiwan, Japanese purchasers have been able both to save a lot of money and to acquire fresher supplies.
Kuo Ming-tsuan understood that Japan represented an important potential new market for Mailiao. But he also realized that the co-op couldn’t expand the scale of their operations by relying exclusively on him and the other old timers, so he invited his three children, all of whom had studied business, to come back home and help out. It was then that Kuo Shu-fen and her two older brothers threw themselves into new careers in agriculture.
At first the quality of Mailiao lettuce was uneven, with only about 40% judged as being up to snuff. That was below the Japanese side’s requirement of 55% or more. Consequently, the three of them not only paid a Japanese lettuce expert to come to Mailiao to give pointers, they also journeyed to Nagano Prefecture themselves to study planting, fertilizing, and pest control techniques first hand from Japanese farmers. After several years of hard work, they were able to gradually raise the rate of acceptable lettuce produced in Mailiao to 70% and higher.
In order to raise recognition of Mai-liao lettuce, in 2007 they established their own brand of “Taiwan Lettuce Village,” and to gain global purchasers’ trust in Taiwan produce, they worked hard to attain various domestic and foreign food safety certifications, including GAP and TAP.
Linear production system
In terms of operations, Kuo Shu-fen decided not to wait until after growing the crop to try to sell it. Instead, she looks for advance buyers. Every August the management center takes orders from home and abroad, and in September it asks member farmers to register their acreage, arranging for production to meet a predetermined schedule of shipments.
It’s worth noting that the farmers who sign lettuce contracts are able to save on labor. All the farmers have to handle is the basic work of irrigation. Everything else, from raising and planting out seedlings, to applying fertilizers and pesticides, to checking on the fields and harvesting, is handled by teams from the management center.
Kuo explains that a few years ago lettuce shipped to Japan was sent back because it failed an inspection test for pesticide residue. As a result, all of the co-op’s work that winter was for naught. It was discovered that some of the co-op’s farmers were ignoring proper procedures.
To resolve the problem, the central office trained harvesting and pesticide spraying squads, thereby both gaining direct control of these key field operations and also helping farmers overcome the agricultural labor shortage.
Produce made in Taiwan
In terms of revenue, contracted farmers now obtain NT$14,000 for every tenth of a hectare under winter cultivation, so that those with large farms can make a “year-end bonus” of hundreds of thousands of NT dollars.
Because they can receive a steady income without providing any labor, more and more farmers want to participate. The area that the co-op has under cultivation has risen from 20–30 hectares to nearly 290 hectares. The amount of Mailiao iceberg lettuce being exported has risen to nearly 4800 tons, accounting for about 60% of all exports of the crop.
High-quality Taiwan Lettuce Village lettuce is now being exported to Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Malaysia, in addition to Japan. In the domestic market, the MOS Burger chain, FamilyMart convenience stores, and other purchasers that insist upon food of the highest quality are among those placing orders.
For Kuo and her two brothers, the idle farming period from May to August is a cherished time to recharge their batteries. To raise their professional understanding, they take turns going abroad to learn about best agricultural practices and in Taiwan they actively participate in agricultural training sponsored by government agricultural agencies and various universities. The dozens of certificates they’ve gained at these programs now adorn the management center walls.
“We’re many decades younger than the co-op’s contract farmers, so we’ve got to provide ironclad evidence that we know what we’re talking about to get them to trust us,” says Kuo.
Kuo grew up in an agricultural family amid the expansive Mailiao farmlands that extend to the banks of the Zhuoshui River. It is a background that has given her a sunny disposition and an ability to work hard, and it has enabled her to quickly grasp the needs of both the market and farmers. With these skills, she has helped to deliver a bright green economic miracle and to bring international acclaim to Taiwanese lettuce.
Young Kuo is proof that farming in Taiwan is no sunset industry!