Vegetable drink powders, ice cream, funerals: Taiwan’s farmers associations branch out
Vegetable drink powders, ice cream, funerals: Taiwan’s farmers associations branch out
2023-06-04
Now we take a look at the many ways Taiwan’s farmers associations have branched out in recent years. Making a profit from farming can be tough, and farmers are constantly looking for new business opportunities. One of the latest innovations is a vegetable powder drink from Taoyuan that promises to become a popular fiber supplement. Other regions are focusing on soy milk, ice cream… and even some services that I bet you can’t guess. Let’s take a tour of rural Taiwan to see more.
Lettuce is sorted by hand, then crushed by a machine and ground to a fine powder. Taiwan’s first “vegetable pulverization factory” opened last year. Here, local organic vegetables are turned into powder by Taoyuan Farmers Association. The powder makes a nutritional, high-fiber drink.
Chou Tsung-wei
Taoyuan Farmers’ Association
We wanted to diversify and enrich our agricultural products. Firstly, it helps our farmers; we contract them to plant larger areas of organic vegetables.
Farmers associations work hard to produce local specialty products, and diversifying services is also a big trend. In just six months, Taoyuan Farmers Association has earned NT$1.3 million from its organic vegetable powder.
By comparison, Hualien’s Ji’an Farmers Association makes NT$23 million a year from ice cream.
Meanwhile, in Yilan’s Luodong Township, the golden goose is soy milk. They sell seven million bottles of the stuff a year, bringing in almost NT$80 million – two thirds of their annual turnover.
Lin Wen-hsin
Luodong Farmers Association
We used to produce it with soybeans bought to aid the U.S. We produce more than seven million bottles a year, which is worth about NT$79 million.
Many farmers associations are developing new products to market their crops. Taitung’s famous for its delicious summer snow mango and roselle products. But customers often don’t realize the association offers other services as well…
On their official website, this funeral services page makes it clear that it’s not just for farmers.
Lee Chien-tung
Taitung District Farmers Association
We managed more than 230 funerals last year. All of them came about spontaneously; we didn’t set a goal for this service.
Farmers across Taiwan are branching out. Some are making a big name for themselves, while others are quietly carving out a new niche. They’re finding ways to make farming pay, but also making rural life more sustainable for all who live and work in Taiwan’s beautiful countryside.
顛覆想像! 台東農會官網推出"生命禮儀部"
2023-06-04
為了永續經營，各地農會使出渾身解數，要把餅做大，朝向多角化經營，所販售的商品也不只農產品而已。有的農會掌握既有資源，研發蔬菜粉，還有的農會擁有豆奶生產線，把豆奶變成農會的金雞母。但最顛覆想像的，是有的農會還推出葬儀服務，各地農會如何創新突破？一起來看看。
一把一把有機蔬菜，人工挑選、機器絞碎、再研磨成粉。全台獨有的蔬菜粉研磨廠去年啟動，桃園市農會將來自地農民的有機蔬菜，變身"蔬菜粉"，一口喝下能補充膳食纖維。
[[桃園市農會總幹事周宗維]]
“是為了讓農產品多元化，然後更豐富化，一方面幫忙農民，跟他契作，種植更大面積的有機蔬菜”
農會除了販售農特產品，多角化經營已是趨勢，桃園市農會有機蔬菜粉，半年就淨賺了132萬。
花蓮吉安農會的冰品，則是一年有2300萬營業額。
而宜蘭羅東農會的金雞母，則是"豆奶"，一年能賣出700多萬瓶，營收高達近8千萬，占整年營業額的三分之二。
[[羅東鎮農會食品豆奶技術員林文信]]
“以前用美國援助的黃豆來生產加工，一年大約生產700多萬瓶，產值大約有7900萬”
多數農會研發商品，從自家農產品著手，台東有夏雪芒果、洛神花等加工品，但令人想不到的是，農會還提供這種服務。
台東農會官網，設有生命禮儀部，服務對象不限農民。
[[台東地區農會總幹事李建通]]
“我們去年做了230幾件，在殯葬禮儀這個區塊，一切通通隨緣，我們沒有制定目標”
各地農會多角化經營，有做名聲的，也有把餅做大的，更希望創造出特色商品，除了增加收益外，更為了永續經營，照顧台灣農民。
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