Taiwan, Japan to team up on growing mushrooms

Taiwan, Japan to team up on growing mushrooms

2024-04-22

Taiwan and Japan are teaming up to grow mushrooms. Due to global warming, shiitake mushroom production in Taiwan has dwindled to just 200 grams per bag of sawdust substrate. Over in Japan, researchers are developing mushroom strains that can better tolerate heat. Because Japan has a labor shortage that limits mushroom production, it’s chosen to partner with Taiwan.

Hu Jong-i
Former Agriculture and Food Agency head
Japan is very eager to partner with Taiwan, because we are meticulous about safety and putting consumers at ease. There’s full traceability in our mushroom production.

Lo Wen-cheng
Xinshe farmers’ association head
Japan is currently researching heat-resistant strains, so we see an opportunity here. Through the exchanges of our Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, these heat-resistant strains can be introduced in Taiwan to improve farmers’ incomes.

Japan plans to send experts to the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute. Together, Taiwanese and Japanese specialists will develop a new variety of shiitake mushrooms that suited to Taiwan’s climate. This variety will be grown in Taiwan and imported to the Japanese market.

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日本菌種台灣合作! 日專家將來台研發新品種"抗熱香菇"

2024-04-22

近年來氣候暖化，國內香菇太空包的產量，降到只剩200，而日本菌種，卻可以高達600公克，是國內3倍，但日本卻苦於人力短缺，產量不足，需要進口安全可靠的香菇。

[[前農糧署長胡忠一]]
“日本目前他們就很希望能夠跟台灣合作，因為我們講究的是安全、安心，這樣可以追溯產銷履歷的香菇生產”

[[新社農會總幹事羅文正]]
“日本現在就是在研究抗熱型的菌種，所以說我們認為有機會，透由我們農試所大家一起交流，將來把這個抗熱型的菌種能夠引進到台灣，然後能夠提高農民的收益”

透過台日農業交流合作，日本將指派專家來台與農業試驗所專家，一起研發出適合台灣高溫氣候的香菇新品種，以「日本菌種、台灣生產」的合作模式，提升香菇的生產質量，打開日本市場。

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Uniforms packed with Taiwan elements unveiled for Paris Olympics opening ceremony

Taiwan has unveiled the uniforms that athletes will wear at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony this summer. The team will be all suited up in blue, with threaded flowers on the lapel. The design was drawn up by Justin Chou, who worked with a team of craftspeople to get an outfit packed with the beauty of Taiwan.

Olympic shooter Yang Kun-pi and boxer Wu Shih-yi model the uniforms that the Taiwanese team will wear for the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics. The dashing outfits grabbed the attention of the whole room.

Yang Kun-pi
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This is my first time to take part in a fashion show. I am very happy and honored to wear the clothes for Team Taiwan and feel everyone’s affection.

Wu Shih-yi
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In preparing for the competitions, I have always had the attitude that I must do my very best, and so I have been working toward that.

The uniforms were designed by renowned Taiwanese fashion designer Justin Chou. He worked together with artist Paul Chiang and Indigenous banana leaf weaver Aing Banday, who was named as one of Taiwan’s Living National Treasures. Also involved in the project was, Lin Pei-ying, an expert in threaded flowers and ambigram calligrapher Lin Kuo-ching.

Lin Kuo-ching
Ambigram calligrapher
I combined English and Chinese, so we have “Chinese Taipei” in one direction and “Jiayou” in the other. When people see our athletes compete, we’ll all cheer for them, saying, “Jiayou, jiayou, jiayou.” I think that combining the cheer with the words “Chinese Taipei” is really creative.

The designers voiced hope that the athletes will make it big. The suits are coastal blue with threaded flowers pinned to the lapels – the national plum blossom and rapeseed flowers symbolizing cheering on the team. The material for the team’s polo shirts is sustainable and contains negative ions, which allegedly help boost comfort.

Justin Chou
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Through our opening ceremony uniforms, we can show everyone that Taiwan has other great things besides bubble tea and xiaolongbao steamed buns. The fabric for the polo sleeves was cut to create random patterns. So when they are wearing them, they will look like a team, but everyone will look different.

With the blessings of Taiwan’s people, the national athletes plan to shine at the Paris Olympics.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Registration opens for DPP Youth Diplomacy Empowerment Program

Registration has opened for a DPP study abroad program that will take young Taiwanese to Washington for exchanges. The DPP Youth Diplomacy Empowerment Program will be held from July 23 to Aug. 2. There’s a registration fee of NT$10,000, but all expenses for the participants will be paid. The DPP’s acting secretary-general, Andrea Yang, says the program aims to develop more foreign affairs talent like Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim.

The director of the DPP’s mission in the U.S., Michael Fonte, proclaims, “Long live Taiwan democracy.” Speaking from Washington, D.C. in a prerecorded video, he encouraged participants to sign up for the DPP Youth Diplomacy Empowerment Program, which starts in July.

Michael Fonte
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In other words, the program gives you a chance to come to the U.S. to gain a deeper understanding of U.S. policies on Taiwan and to meet U.S. officials and scholars. Whether you end up working as an aide or get elected president, forging these relationships will help you.

The program will take politically minded youth to Washington for exchanges. Such an initiative is not new. Back in 1995, Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim organized a similar course while working at the DPP’s mission in the U.S. The participants included current lawmaker Ho Hsin-chun, Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung and Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Herming Chiueh. With this latest youth camp, the DPP seeks to nurture more new talent in politics.

Andrea Yang
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We want to find more Hsiao Bi-khims. It’s difficult to cultivate foreign affairs talent, in large part due to salaries and benefits. These are problems we have been trying to overcome in our talent development efforts.

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Perhaps you may all be thinking that the U.S. flights alone start at NT$50,000 or NT$60,000. But our registration fee is just NT$10,000 per person. While KMT lawmakers led by Fu Kun-chi are carrying out exchanges with China and the CCP, the DPP is taking a new generation out into the world, to strengthen relations between democracies, and stand united together.

Registration is now open for the youth camp, which will be held from July 23 to Aug. 2 in Washington, D.C. Fifteen to 20 participants will be chosen, and their expenses will be covered in full. In related news, DPP Chair Lai Ching-te has pledged to donate his election subsidy to support the education of young party members, to foster new talent in Taiwan politics.

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Local vaccine maker donates vaccines to children of lower-income households in 2 countie

Enterovirus infections over the past two years reached a record high, due to what some see as an immunity debt caused by the COVID pandemic. An enterovirus 71 vaccine was developed last year, and Taiwan’s Medigen announced last Sunday that it would donate 1,200 doses of the vaccine to disadvantaged children in two counties. The donations are being welcomed by pediatricians who have warned that there could be an outbreak on the horizon. They say that the vaccine will likely be publicly funded in the future, but for now, donations like Medigen’s are an important lifeline for disadvantaged households.

Local vaccine maker Medigen announced it would donate 1,200 doses of its enterovirus 71 vaccine to Hualien and Taitung counties, which would be available to children under the age of 2 from disadvantaged households.

Health officials said this week marks the start of an annual peak period for the spread of the different forms of enterovirus. According to health ministry statistics, the number of enterovirus infections began to climb in 2015 and reached a high in 2016 when there were 6,562 cases. Annual infections reached a low of 537 in 2022 due to precautions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, since then cases have again spiked, reaching a record high of 9,256 cases as of April this year, a 10-year high.

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So far this year, there have been six cases of enterovirus 71, and one case of D68 – a mild variant. Pediatricians are worried that immunity debt caused by the COVID pandemic may lead to a wave of outbreaks for enterovirus-related illness. However, since the enterovirus vaccine is new, those hoping to get it must pay out of pocket to the tune of NT$7,000 to NT$10,000 per shot.

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Other vaccines such as that for hepatitis A were also initially administered at the patient’s own expense, but the government gradually allowed them to be publicly funded. After all, prevention is a better than treatment. Why wait until people get seriously ill and then give them guidelines on what to do? Why not just vaccinate people from the start?

Donations like Medigen’s allow more children to benefit from vaccines that prevent illness. Now pediatricians are hoping the enterovirus vaccine can become even more accessible to all children.

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ITRI showcases hydrogen tech, energy savings applications at Net Zero Day

Taiwan is on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. To help businesses achieve their green transition, the Industrial Technology Research Institute, or ITRI, showcased its latest innovations at its third annual Net Zero Day last Friday. The special exhibition focused on applications in hydrogen energy and energy efficiency technology.

A small drone takes off from Qingye Farm in Taichung. It climbs to an altitude of 3,200 meters to arrive at the Shinda Mountain Cabin, where it air-drops medical supplies. In another test, the drone goes from Beimen in Tainan to Dongji in Penghu. Flying 88 kilometers to deliver COVID test kits, its endurance tops expectations. Thanks to its fuel cell power generation system, this drone has three times the flight time of a drone powered by lithium batteries of the same weight. Not only that, the drone is low-noise and pollution-free, making a case for hydrogen applications as a future priority.

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Besides hydrogen applications, energy saving is a focus of the future. To provide kilowatt-level cooling for AI servers, ITRI developed the Vapor Chamber Lid, which is integrated into the chip module and fits right on the AI chip. A vapor chamber is used to evaporate and condense water within the chip, achieving energy savings three times the global average for cooling systems. This system is at the heart of a collaboration between ITRI and Intel Taiwan. In addition, ITRI’s energy asset management system enables the efficient management of AI assets, reducing battery cycles, saving costs, lowering total power use by 20%, and increasing battery life by three years.

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French photographer Hubert Kilian has made a study of Taiwan’s complex urban landscapes. Kilian’s photos have recorded the industrial and agricultural corners of Taipei, New Taipei, and Taoyuan. In recent years, his work on Taoyuan residents facing the loss of their land for the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project has won particular attention. But deciding to dedicate himself to art has not been an easy decision. FTV accompanied Kilian on a trip to find some more of Taiwan’s urban tableaux, off the beaten track.

Hubert Kilian walks down a road amid the screech of trucks, his equipment on his back, constantly looking around. The French photographer started his walking adventures in 2020, wandering the coastal regions of Taoyuan, recording scenes from the margins of the city with his camera.

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I had a lot of questions about how the city is arranged. How are urban, industrial and agricultural areas divided? Where you put the agriculture? Does it need protection, or not? Or is economic development more important? I wanted to use my camera to consider all these questions, and to ask more questions.

In Kilian’s work, Taoyuan emerges as a city where industry and agriculture coexist side by side, sometimes in conflict, forming a distinctive contemporary Taiwanese landscape. Each photo has emotional resonance. After three years capturing Taoyuan, he found himself inadvertently recording history. At the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project, many households are facing land expropriation, in a development that could drastically change the landscape.

Hubert Kilian
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I’m very interested in the hole at the back of the building. It represents the intimate connection between this land and agriculture. Looking at that building from here, you can judge that its former glory has become a ruin.

After marrying his wife in 2003, Kilian settled in Taiwan. A resident of Taipei, he wanted to find a reason to fall in love with the city. He picked up his camera in his spare time, and began recording images of Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan. He’s published two collections of photographs and is preparing a third currently. In late 2023, he started a business, a photography studio, to devote more time to his photography and to building his dream.

Hubert Kilian
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There have always been two paths in my mind. I was always wavering between them. I used to be a business consultant, then I was an artist. There was always a conflict. So I flipped back and forth between them. I was always stuck between these two roads. Now I’ve reached an age where I’m just going to choose a path and see how it goes.

Kilian’s art has brought him to a deeper perspective on Taiwan, and taken him to many less-travelled roads around the country. He has found himself surrounded by warmth from people met on his travels, and gradually he’s found his own way to resonate with the life of the land. The artist says he’s grateful for the 21 years of rich experiences Taiwan has already given him.

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