The ROC Cabinet unveiled an eight-year development plan October 8 that will create a golden corridor for green agriculture and agritourism in central Taiwan’s Changhua and Yunlin counties.
According to the Council of Agriculture, the corridor covers a narrow strip spanning 1.5 kilometers on each side of the tracks of the Taiwan High Speed Rail from Changhua’s Xizhou Township to Yunlin’s Beigang Township.
Beginning 2013, the NT$3.3 billion (US$112.63 million) project will attract new blood, develop business opportunities for Taiwan’s farming sector and introduce advanced agricultural technologies with a focus on energy saving, water conservation and net house farming.
“Water conservation is the future of agriculture,” said COA Minister Chen Bao-ji during a Cabinet news conference in Taipei City. “The project represents the government’s commitment to promoting sustainable growth while balancing regional economic development.”
Under the plan, Taiwan will be able to save 24 million tons of water per year, train nearly 1,700 new farmers for high-tech agriculture and attract 12,000 visitors to the area for recreational farming.
Chen said the area is experiencing land subsidence after years of overpumping underground water, a problem that seriously threatens the safety of the THSR. “The project will also help improve the situation.”
The minister also expects the region’s agricultural output to double over the project’s lifespan. The plan can also serve as a model for other parts of the country.
According to the COA, the program is a collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Transportation and Communications and local government agencies.
