The 2008 Presidential Agricultural Awards (PAA), organized by the Council of Agriculture (COA), is designed to recognize individuals and teams that have made outstanding contributions in the field of agriculture. It is further hoped that the regular presentation of these awards will draw public attention to the importance of agriculture to Taiwan and encourage more people to pursue agricultural research, promotion, service and conservation-related careers in order to create together a bright future for agricultural sector. Entries may be submitted from January 1 ^st through June 30 ^th, 2007. Please visit the COA’s website for further details and application forms.

The COA applauds the exceptional achievements made by previous Presidential Agricultural Award recipients in a diverse range of agricultural disciplines. Second PAA winners, such as the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center’s Mung Bean Green Revolution R&D Team, the Taiwan Animal Cloning and Transgenic Research Team, and National Taiwan University’s Professor H.J. Su, and first PAA winners, like National Pingtung University of Science and Technology Professor Sung-Ching Hsieh and Chin-hsi Hsu, Chairman of the Chia-Nan Irrigation Association, have not only facilitated agricultural advances at home and abroad, but have also been instrumental in helping Taiwan’s diplomatic allies overcome critical agricultural development bottlenecks as well as infused Taiwan’s own agricultural sector with renewed vitality and purpose. The President has praised PAA winners as trailblazers in their fields of expertise; infusing innovation, while ensuring that the best qualities of traditional agriculture continue to be used and passed on. These principles help fuel the COA’s continuing commitment to hold the Presidential Agricultural Awards on a regular basis.

The 2008 (3rd) PAA program continues to permit entrants to be either nominated or recommended for consideration. Any government agency or legally-registered private entity is eligible. Awards are given in the four categories of Food Security, Agricultural Innovation, Agricultural Service and Sustainable Development. The first two are open to entrants regardless of nationality. The organizer looks forward to receiving many nominations and recommendations for individuals and teams who have made noteworthy contributions in their respective fields.

The COA expresses its hope that Presidential Agricultural Awards candidates from previous years will consider participating again in the 2008 PAA. The consistently high caliber of entries makes selecting just one in each category a process of difficult elimination, and a previously “overlooked gem”, resubmitted and, perhaps, fine tuned, may take top honors this time around.

To allow entrants adequate time to prepare, the COA is accepting applications for the 2008 PAA over an extended six-month period. Award recipients will be announced, following a series of eliminations, at the beginning of December 2007. The ROC President will be invited to present the Awards at a ceremony tentatively scheduled for early February 2008. Each PAA recipient will earn a cash reward of NT$1.2 million, a certificate in both English and Chinese, a trophy. In addition, the COA will produce a documentary on award winners that honors their important contributions to agriculture. To learn more about the PAA selection and evaluation process, download forms and get more information, please visit the COA’s website at: www.coa.gov.tw