Tainan Station Urges Consumers to Support Local Soybeans

An assorted product made with local soybeans is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station via CNA

By Esme Yeh / Staff reporter

The Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station has called on local consumers to choose Taiwan-grown soybeans over imported ones to support local agriculture as well as reduce the carbon cost.

Soybeans grown in Taiwan are favorable for local consumers, as they are traceable, very fresh, genetically unmodified and produced with less carbon emissions, the station said.

Soybeans are drought-tolerant and their growth requires only 30 percent to 40 percent of the water that rice would need, station director Chen Yu-chu （陳昱初） said.

About 5,000 to 7,000 tonnes of irrigation water can be saved if soybean fields are more precisely irrigated during the crop’s growing season, he said.

Soil bacteria that form root nodules in the roots of soybean plants can fix nitrogen to produce nutrients, reducing nitrogen fertilizer use by about 20 percent, Chen said.

That would not only lower the farming costs, but also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as nitrous oxide, Chen added.

TAIWAN VARIETIES

To meet the demand from the food processing industry and consumers, the station developed a soybean variety named Tainan No. 10 in 2014.

It also developed a black soybean variety named Tainan No. 11 in 2017.

Station assistant researcher Lee Hsing-fang （李杏芳） said the planting areas of soybeans — including black soybeans — reached about 4,000 hectares nationwide.

While Kaohsiung Selection No. 10 has been the most common soybean variety in Taiwan due to how easy it is to grow, Tainan No. 10 is aimed at high-end markets, she said.

Tainan No. 10 has a bigger grain shape with a yellow hilum, while other soybean varieties tend to be smaller in size with a darker or black hilum, Lee said.

That makes Tainan No. 10 soybeans look more pleasing, she said, adding that tofu or soymilk made from the variety appear whiter.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Tainan No. 11 is rich in soy isoflavones and anthocyanins, as it is a black soybean with a green kernel, Lee said.

Black soybeans with green kernels are popular among Taiwanese, as many believe that it has therapeutic effects, she said.

Such beliefs lack a scientific basis, although black soybeans with green kernels are nutritious, Lee said.

Tainan No. 10 soybeans and Tainan No. 11 black soybeans have higher protein content, making their recovery rate higher than most other soybean varieties, she said.

They are also more resistant to powdery mildew, a plant disease that causes white dusty coating in leaves and reduces production, she added.

The station said imported soybeans would produce much more carbon, as they have to be shipped, compared with Taiwan-grown soybeans.

Consumers in Taiwan should choose locally grown soybeans, particularly those with traceability or organic labels, to contribute to a sustainable environment, it added.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES