The subsidy for old farmers has been increased to 15,000. Zhangjiajun: Guaranteeing farmers’ basic retirement life

The Legislative Yuan passed the amendment to the "Interim Regulation on Welfare Subsidy for Elderly Farmers" on the third reading this afternoon, increasing the monthly subsidy for elderly farmers from the current 8,110 yuan to 15,000 yuan, which will be implemented as soon as next year. Kuomintang legislator Zhang Jiajun said that farmers have worked hard all their lives, and it is the government's responsibility to take care of farmers' old age, and it cannot just be reduced to a slogan. This amendment to the law is to protect farmers' basic retirement life.

"Only by treating old farmers well can young people be willing to take over." Zhang Jiajun said that in recent years, prices have been rising, but old farmers' subsidies have not kept up. This amendment is to repay farmers' living debts. For the government, this money is not spent, but planted. "Today it is planted on old farmers, and tomorrow it will be harvested by the whole of Taiwan."

Zhang Jiajun said that farmers have been working hard on the front line for many years, relying on the weather to make ends meet. They have to bear risks such as fluctuations in agricultural product prices and rising production costs. They have devoted their lives to Taiwan's food security and agricultural development, and they have to face rising prices in their later years. The current monthly subsidy of 8,110 yuan for elderly farmers has long been beyond their means, which is lower than the minimum living allowance announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. There is a consensus among cross-party legislators in the Legislative Yuan that there is indeed a need for review and adjustment.

Zhang Jiajun said that this amendment to the law will increase the monthly subsidy for old farmers to 15,000 yuan, so that old farmers do not need to reach out to their children, and do not have to count money for medical treatment. This is the most basic food and clothing, and the most basic dignity. The Kuomintang and the People's Party stand together with farmers and will never compromise the dignity of farmers.

This revision of the law not only adjusts the payment amount, but also adjusts the standards for eliminating wealth that are out of date due to inflation. Some farmers hold ancestral farmland or self-occupied houses, which affects their qualifications. This revision of the law raises the income standard other than agricultural income from the current 500,000 yuan to 600,000 yuan, and the value standard of real estate and land is also raised from the current 5 million yuan to 10.25 million yuan.

Zhang Jiajun said that while the government is promoting agricultural upgrading, smart agriculture and industrial transformation, it cannot ignore the older generation of farmers who have laid the foundation for Taiwan's agriculture. The government has a duty to take care of farmers, and it cannot be just a slogan. In the future, it should continue to improve farmers' retirement security, agricultural insurance and agricultural disaster subsidy systems, so that older farmers can enjoy their retirement life with peace of mind, and the younger generation can also see the future and hope of investing in agriculture.