FARMERS UPSET AT COA ATTEMPTS TO PLUG LABOR SHORTAGE |新農業創新4措施 引發農民團體不滿

In order to solve labor shortage problem in the agricultural sector, the Council of Agriculture has proposed four solutions, including hiring agricultural technical mission workers, agricultural service technicians, open prison inmates and weekend farmers. However, farmers are unhappy with the solutions, saying that short-term labor force does little help to improve the situation. What the agricultural industry needs is long-term skilled workers. On the 2,000-square-meter tomato farm, six farmers are working. During the harvest season, however, the farm requires twice that number. The problem is that finding skilled workers is difficult because only a few people are qualified and willing to work in hot environments. ==KAO SHIH-NAN, President of Kaohsiung young farmer union== We are dealing with quality agriculture, which requires fine techniques. We need people to prune and pick the fruit. Farms across Taiwan now face a shortage of workers. To address the problem, the Council of Agriculture proposed four solutions last week, which include hiring agricultural technical mission workers, agricultural service technicians, open prison inmates and weekend farmers. However, this sparked criticism among young farmer groups because it can only provide short-term labor force. ==KAO SHIH-NAN, President of Kaohsiung young farmer union== They are only passers-by. It is impossible for them to work as weekend farmers every weekend for a long period. Farmers' burden can be relieved for a little this way. However, this is not a long-term solution. Farmers said that both weekend farmers and open prison inmates are temporary workers. The long-term labor force is what the agriculture industry needs for sustainable development. Lacking sufficient agricultural workers, young sesame farmers in Tainan said that they have to decrease the area they farm every year. ==SU CHENG-LUNG, President of Tainan young farmers union ==　 The reason why we cannot expand sesame production is because we are short-handed. Therefore, we have to decrease the area we farm every year. Young farmers said that they need long-term workers who can stay on farms and accumulate agricultural techniques and experience. Besides solving the problem of temporary labor shortages, they hope that the government can propose practical plans to increase the number of long-term agricultural workers. TRANSLATED BY ARIEL HSIEH 為了解決農村缺工的問題，農委會推出方案，提出農業技術團、農事服務團、外役監、以及假日農夫等4項措施，不過引發農民團體不滿，認為這些都只是短期玩票，尤其外役監、更是被迫下田，對長期改善農村缺工、沒有幫助。 種玉女蕃茄的溫室農田，面積2分多，農家平時有6名人力可以投入，但忙碌時需求人力會增加到一倍，卻因為溫室裡溫度會多出5到8度，且需要技術人力，讓他們很難僱工。 ==高雄青農聯誼會會長 高世男== 我們主要是需要 技術較細緻的 我們做的是精緻農業 需要整枝 整蔓 摘果 全台農村大缺工，因為引進農業外勞卡關，農委會上周提出四項解決措施，包括農業技術團、農事服務團、外役監和假日農夫，但在多個縣市的青年農民團體間引起討論和抨擊，認為政府提供的只是短期人力。 ==高雄青農聯誼會會長 高世男== 他也只是個過客 不可能長期每週都來做假日農夫 所以是可以減輕農民辛勞 但也不是一個長期的作法 農民認為，假日農夫和外役監都是臨時工，外役監更是被迫下田，難以認真投入，但最攸關農業永續的，是長期勞力，台南青農種胡麻，就因此耕作面積年年縮減。 ==台南青農聯誼會會長 蘇程隆== 我們沒有辦法把地方性的產業 能夠擴大經營的原因是人力不足 所以說我們目前 一年一年的耕作面積 是逐年在減少 青農強調，農村需要能長期留在農村、累積技術經驗的人力，臨時缺工的問題固然需要解決，但更希望政府提出長期提升農村人力的作法。 記者 王介村 許政俊 溫正衡 綜合報導