Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) sought to assuage food security concerns in Taiwan Sunday, saying current stockpiles were enough to feed the country for one year.
In a social media post marking World Food Day, Chen said that the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and climate change had exacerbated food insecurity globally, including in Taiwan.
According to Chen, Taiwan is well prepared for such challenges, with the minister claiming that the country has a stockpile of nearly 1.26 million tonnes of rice — enough to last a whole year.
Chen said the country also had a stockpile of 12 tonnes of pork and poultry meat and the capacity to produce 178 tonnes a year domestically.
According to Chen, Taiwan’s self-sufficiency rate of seafood has been more than 100 percent over the past few years.
The COA chief added that Taiwan had a three-month 15-tonne stockpile of seafood.
According to Chen, Taiwan plans to import 67.2 tonnes of soybeans and 126.9 tonnes of corn for livestock feed by the end of the year.
Chen also highlighted the government’s “Zero Hunger” program, saying the initiative had helped roughly 80,000 people with subsidies and donations of food since it began earlier this year.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel