1. An amended version of Supplement 11 of Article 4 of the “Regulations Governing the Certification of Premium Agricultural Produce” was announced.

2. As a result of Typhoon Megi, Yilan County was declared a disaster area where farmers are eligible for low-interest loans, at the annual rate of 1.25%. In addition scallion farmers in Yilan County were declared eligible for cash subsidies. Farmers and fishermen affected by Typhoon Megi who had already taken out low-interest loans to recover from Typhoon Parma had the interest rate on their new loans lowered from 1.25% to 1%, with interest for the first year to be subsidized by the government. In addition, post-Megi loans were arranged under the same conditions as used after Typhoon Fanapi, i.e. loan amounts were raised.

3. The COA announced that persons who had already taken out low-interest loans after Typhoon Morakot and then applied for new loans following Typhoon Fanapi would have the interest rates on the post-Fanapi loans lowered from 1.25% per year to 1%, with interest for the first year to be subsidized by the government.

4. To reduce losses to farmers, the government decided to activate the mechanism to purchase rice damaged by Typhoon Fanapi. Farmers who had already received cash subsidies as a result of damage suffered during the typhoon could still sell their damaged rice, and moreover, reductions in purchase quotas based on the percentage of crops damaged would be waived. For farmers who had not previously reported the planting of their rice, a supplementary reporting process was permitted so that the rice could be sold to public stocks.

5. Seeing as the coastal highway running from eastern to northern Taiwan was cut as a result of Typhoon Megi, measures were adopted to subsidize the resulting increased costs for transport of agricultural, fisheries, and animal husbandry products from Hualien County and Taitung County to markets in northern Taiwan.

6. An interpretation was issued with respect to Article 18, Paragraph 1 of the Agricultural Development Act. To prevent the conversion of agricultural land to housing and ensure that high-quality farmland remains dedicated to agricultural production, the interpretation ruled that houses could not be built in “specified agricultural zones.”

7. The COA attended the 1st APEC Ministerial Meeting on Food Security, held in Niigata,Japan. The ministers of the various economic entities in attendance issued a declaration approving a 62-item multiyear action plan to guarantee food security in the Asia-Pacific region, including the ROC.

8. The COA attended the 3rd APEC Oceans-Related Ministerial Meeting. After the meeting, the Paracas Declaration was issued on the importance of healthy oceans and fisheries management towards food security.

9. Taiwan hosted the 17th Annual Meeting of the Extended Commission for the Conservation of the Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) and the 5th Meeting of the CCSBT’s Compliance Committee. The Commission agreed to strengthen enforcement of conservation measures as well as adopt various management measures to provide a basis for deciding total allowable fish catch and allocations for the next year.

10. The COA participated in the 2010 Global Chinese Business Leaders Forum (organized by Commonwealth magazine) to discuss how to resolve current human and environmental crises. At the conference the COA made presentations on the food crisis, climate change, and environmental protection. We emphasized that Taiwan would pursue local competitive advantages in agriculture and encourage local consumption in order to shorten food transportation distances, develop new business models focused on saving energy and reducing carbon emissions, and continually move toward healthier and safer green agriculture.

11. A ceremony was held to present awards to six farmers associations, one at the county level and five at the township level, for making particular contributions to agricultural extension work.

12. The COA sponsored a training class on applications of reproductive technology in improving the inheritance of stud livestock, via the Asia-Pacific Alliance of Agricultural Research Institutions. This marked an upgrading of our international cooperation with the APAARI, thereby serving agricultural diplomacy, and it also was a step toward the goal of making Taiwan into an Asia-Pacific stud livestock center.

13. An exhibition was held for the “Top 100 Products of Farmers and Fishermen’s Associations in Taiwan” as selected by the COA for the coming year, 2011. On display were premium quality products of agricultural biotechnology as well as creative and elegant gift boxes with rural products and themes. The exhibition was aimed at developing new markets for products from rural areas.

14. The 2010 Taiwan Ornamental Fish Expo was held, with the goals of broadening the domestic market, raising Taiwan’s visibility and international competitiveness in the market for new varieties of ornamental fish, and strengthening the foundations of this industry.