The first "organic agriculture zone" in China has been levied to develop an industrial zone! Nakazaki farmer: the government is not honest, ten years of efforts have been in vain

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The case of Tainan Honey Ranch Likang Industrial Zone has attracted the attention of the agricultural community, and at the same time, there is also an incident of expropriation of organic farms in the science park in Kaohsiung City next door. The victims are organic farmers in the Nakazaki Organic Agriculture Zone, which is located within the scope of land expropriation in Qiaotou Science Park. According to the planning of the Construction Department, the land leased by Taiwan Sugar to farmers will not be renewed after the lease expires in 2023, and the organic area will give way to a science park.

After 10 years of struggle, many farmers in the organic area have just obtained organic certification, invested money, time, and efforts to improve their land, and some have even just invested money to build greenhouses, in the face of the government's sudden announcement. Yang Dengxu, chairman of the Nakasaki Organic District Agricultural Transportation and Marketing Cooperative, lamented, "this makes people feel that the government is not honest!" When so many organic farmers have been working here for ten years, it is not easy for the government to stop playing. Isn't this a trick on the farmers? "

Yang Dengxu, chairman of the board of directors of Nakasaki Organic Cooperative, said that farmers have been working hard for a decade, but the government has come to naught with a stroke of a pen. (photo / Lin Jiyang) encouraged by the Council of Agriculture, Nakazaki Organic Agriculture Zone was planned in Kaohsiung County in 2008.

In 2008, the Council of Agriculture launched the "Program of Excellence in Agricultural Health" to encourage counties and municipal governments to set up organic zones. Yang Qiuxing, then head of Kaohsiung County, has planned the Nakazaki Organic District since 2008 during his term of office, and coordinated by the county government, rented a farm with a total land area of 31 hectares from the Taiwan Sugar Company at the junction of Qiaotou Yan Nest. Since 2010, it has been operated independently by the farmers' organization "Nakazaki Organic District Agricultural Transportation and Marketing Cooperative". At present, more than 30 farmers have settled in the park.

The organic area of Nakasaki used to belong to the "Qiaotou New Town". Since its launch in 1994, the Qiaotou New Town has not been smooth and has been suspended for more than 20 years. In May 2019, Chen Qimai, Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan, announced the promotion of the "Qiaotou Science Park". In order to meet the needs of Taiwan businessmen returning investment and science and technology industry, more than 1,000 hectares of undeveloped land in Qiaotou New Town in the later period was changed into Qiaotou Science Park in the south. The 31 hectares of organic area in Nakasaki is also included (at the red border in the picture).

The information released by the government will be marked separately by the reporter. Lin Jiyang

Kaohsiung Nakazaki Organic Agriculture Zone current site (Google Map processing / Lin Jiyang) Cooperative Chairman: ten years of efforts to pay Dongliu "the government plays tricks on farmers"

Yang Dengxu, the current chairman of the cooperative board, said that after the Qiaotou Science Park bill was passed, farmers in the organic area immediately fell into gloom and gloom. Many people responded to the government's call to join the farm to join the organic cause a decade ago, and now it is likely to be wiped out with the start of the Qiaotou Science Park project.

"this gives people the impression that the government's policies are not honest! Break one's word to the farmer. When so many organic farmers have been working here for ten years and have experienced hardships from improvement and transition, when they finally have to work hard, the government says that if they don't play, they won't play. Isn't this a trick on the farmers? " Yang Dengxu said.

At a coordination meeting of the Construction Administration in 2018, farmer Liu Guangzhe proposed the Organic Agriculture Promotion Law as a basis, hoping that the plan of the Qiaotou Science Park could retain the Nakazaki organic farm, but it was rejected. The Construction Department of the Ministry of the Interior considers that the land lease of Nakasaki Farm (2018.1.20-2023.1.19) is not applicable before the promulgation of the Organic Agriculture Promotion Act (2019.5.31), and the Construction Department believes that the existence of organic areas near the industrial zone has an impact on the verification of organic products, the two may not coexist.

At present, there are more than 30 farmers in the Nakasaki organic zone, who have invested in ten years of operation and accumulated, and have finally achieved certain results. now when it comes to the development plan of the science park, the farmers do not know where to go. (courtesy of Zeng Jinzhu) set up a science park, and the price of farmland around it has skyrocketed.

In contrast to the entry of the Science Park, the Central Committee announced that the Association for the Promotion of Local Industry, Government and Education welcomed the existence of "organic farmers" here, but no one ever asked about it. Zeng Jinzhu, a farmer who grows flowers and herbs and gardening, said that "I feel cheated by the government": "decision makers have no respect for the efforts of organic farmers in this land. In the heavily polluted city of Kaohsiung, it is worth the citizens to get close to the land because it can restore the ecology and vitality of a piece of land. This is the green asset of a city. Organic agriculture has been forced to give way to science parks, and the pastoral city policy is like a slogan. "

In order to find new land, Zeng Jinzhu inquired around and found that since the news of Qiaotou Science Park was released, information about all kinds of land speculation began to flow, false trade and false news continued to be released, and the surrounding farmland skyrocketed. It has been very difficult for farmers to find similar land for farming. He believes that this kind of farmland waiting to be changed around the city has already given up agriculture, and most of them are waiting for the land value-added benefits after development.

Zeng Jinzhu criticized the government for not understanding that organic agriculture takes quite a long time to adapt to the environment, and it is too wrong to sacrifice agriculture and farmers. (photo / Lin Jiyang) Organic farmers: "after ten years of busyness, no one regards agriculture and the environment as important things."

When they learned that Taiwan Sugar would not renew its lease in the future, organic farmers in the area, Chuang Ching-shun and Luan Pi-Wei, were a little sad. Luan Pi-Wei, a middle-aged organic farmer, says that entering the business is not easy: "in the past few years, almost all efforts were made. Soil improvement, capital spirit, and labor almost had no income, but only enough to eat for ourselves. it took us 10 years to restore the land. Soil fertility, ecology, insects, birds and animals came back one by one, and the whole garden was full of ecology and life. It was these processes that sustained us."

Chuang Ching-shun believes that organic farms also have many intangible social assets that cannot be easily replaced elsewhere: "many people have come to organic farms and become our friends and have experienced how agricultural production coexists with the ecological environment. Consumers will be willing to pay higher prices for organic products, and part of their consumption is to support the land and the ecology."

They think that in response to the government's call, they came to the Nakasaki organic zone with enthusiasm to open up the land, but today the government says there is no such thing, and their hearts are full of depression and disapproval. Luan Piwei said a little helplessly and sour, "I feel at a loss." Chuang Ching-shun, on the other hand, exhaled on the sky and sighed with emotion: "after ten years of busyness, no one regards agriculture and the environment as important things."