Farmers protest water curtailmentBy Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerDozens of farmers on Wednesday protested the government’s announcement last month that it was cutting off irrigation to 1.9 hectares of farmland across Taoyuan, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties due to insufficient rainfall this year. A group of farmers protest in front of the Executive Yuan in Taipei on Wednesday against the Council of Agriculture’s decision last month to suspend farmland irrigation to parts of Taoyuan, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties. Hung said that the government should rather cut the water supply for the manufacturing sector and subsidizing companies in the sector instead of the farmers. Central Taiwan Farmer’s Group member Hsu Wen-feng (許文烽) said that while the subsidies would outweigh many famers’ losses, those who are leasing land, managing their own brand or pursue organic farming would not benefit. The reputation of some farmers’ brands might be harmed, and they might have to cease selling under that brand, Hsu said.

Source: Taipei Times November 05, 2020 15:56 UTC