Lin Guozhang Agricultural and Fishery Support Association was established to support farmers and fishermen and strive for industrial upgrading

The Democratic Progressive Party's candidate for Yilan County Governor Lin Guozhang (middle) today established a support group for the agricultural and fishery circles at the Xinan Competition. Representatives of grassroots farmers and fishermen in the county gathered in the rain to support him. Minister of Agriculture Chen Junji (fourth from left) also made a special trip to the scene to listen to the voices of the villagers. (Photo by reporter Wang Junqi)

Lin Guozhang, candidate for Yilan County Governor of the Democratic Progressive Party, set up a support group for the agricultural and fishery circles at the Xinan Competition this afternoon. Representatives of grassroots farmers and fishermen in the county gathered to support. Agriculture Minister Chen Junji also made a special trip to the scene to listen to the voices of the villagers. He affirmed that farmers and fishermen are the solid backers of Taiwan's food security, and promised that the central government will do its best to be the strongest backing for Yilan's farmers and fishermen, and work together to upgrade the industry.

Although it started to rain heavily in the afternoon, it did not extinguish the enthusiasm of grassroots supporters. The parking lots around the election campaign were full. The nearby Youth Taiwanese Market, which gathered more than 50 specialty stores, also attracted a large crowd. In front of the service counter, people lined up for hundreds of meters in the rain to receive campaign souvenirs. The scene was spectacular.

The event attracted representatives from the agricultural and fishery circles in the county to support them, including Li Changshan, the director-general of the Yilan County Farmers' Association, and representatives of the township farmers' associations, Zheng Minze, the director-general of the Toucheng District Fisheries Association, Chen Chunsheng, the director-general of the Suao District Fisheries Association, and others were personally present, demonstrating the momentum of grassroots solidarity.

Agriculture Minister Chen Junji said that in order to sympathize with the hard work of farmers, under the suggestion of Lin Guozhang, the Ministry of Agriculture is studying to provide maternity leave subsidies to young farmers. It will also subsidize field ventilation and cooling equipment during the hot summer to improve farming conditions. The central government will fully cooperate with local grassroots needs to substantially reduce everyone's work burden.

Lin Guozhang also said that agriculture and fishery are difficult industries that depend on the weather, and taking care of everyone is the primary responsibility. After being elected, the local government will increase the agricultural disaster insurance subsidy to 95%, and coordinate the government to make up the remaining 5% to reach the full subsidy. It will also promote the expansion of organic agriculture to 2,000 hectares, help solve the pollution of neighboring fields, and at the same time subsidize the construction of a six-star cold chain system and the acquisition of old ships, and strive to open up wider sales channels for farmers and fishermen.

Lin Guozhang emphasized that he has smooth communication with the central government and will proactively connect resources to resolve the difficulties at the grassroots level. He thanked the farmers and fishermen in the county for their long-term efforts and implored the villagers to unite and send him to the county seat with their votes on voting day, so that the central and local governments can work together to build Yilan into a prosperous agricultural and fishery county.

Villagers lined up for hundreds of meters in front of the service counter in the rain to receive campaign souvenirs. (Photo by reporter Wang Junqi)

Next to it, the Youth Taiwanese Market gathers more than 50 specialty shops, attracting huge crowds. (Photo by reporter Wang Junqi)