Award-wining farmer loses eligibility for agriculture subsidies

Award-wining farmer loses eligibility for agriculture subsidies

2026-04-21

A farmer from Caotun in Nantou is facing problems after winning an award for his excellent rice. The farmer is Lee Chi-yuan, who won a gold medal in the “Non-Fragrant Rice” category in a competition in 2024, and NT$600,000 in prize money from the central and local governments. But because of the prize, he is now no longer eligible for a senior farmer subsidy. That means he’s not been able to receive NT$8,100 every month so far this year. He’s now contacted a legislator for help in solving the conundrum. Let’s hear more.

Lee Chi-yuan
Award-winning rice farmer
Winning the national contest was extremely difficult. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. We were encouraged to take part in the competition, but the rules should’ve been made clearer. The award and the encouragement has become a punishment. It’s a troubling problem for us farmers.

Ma Wen-chun
Legislator (KMT)
The Ministry of Agriculture should handle this case before formulating a more thorough policy for the future.

KMT Legislator Ma Wen-chun says that the prize money should be categorized as agricultural income, since it is an award from an agricultural contest. It currently counts as non-agricultural income, which revokes farmers’ eligibility for subsidies. The Ministry of Agriculture says that the prize money cannot be recategorized that easily due to tax laws on cash prizes. It did say that farmers may deduct the competition costs and necessary expenses from their winnings, and can obtain help from the Agriculture and Food Agency.

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#rice #prize #agriculture #farmlife #farmer

獎勵變處罰? 種米金牌獎金超出排富條款津貼遭取消

2026-04-21

農民怒問，是獎勵還是懲罰？南投縣草屯鎮農民李啟元，2024年勇奪"非香米組"金牌殊榮，因而獲得中央和地方共60萬元獎金，不過，卻也因為這筆獎金所得，讓他超出老農津貼排富門檻，以致於今年的老農津貼每月8100元領不到。這讓當事人十分錯愕，找上立委陳情。

[[當事種米達人李啟元]]
“說實在，要得到全國性的冠軍，是非常的困難，可能我一生才有一次。你既然鼓勵我們來參加這個比賽，但是你事先要講清楚，不然你鼓勵性變成懲罰性，這樣對農民來講，是很困擾的問題”

[[立委(國) 馬文君]]
“農業部針對這個部分，應該是可以先個案處理，未來再做一個通盤的政策制訂”

馬文君表示，既然稻農參加的是農業類競賽，獎金就可認定為農業所得，以免列入非農業所得影響老農津貼權益。農業部表示，依現行所得稅法規，獎金無法納入農業所得，但農民所獲獎金可扣除參賽成本及相關必要費用，目前由農糧署協助核算；至於將獎金納入農業所得，需與相關部會研議處理。

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Major Taichung road project to benefit growing Beitun District

Taichung is getting another major infrastructure: Dongguang Road in the fast-growing Beitun District. The NT$6.3 billion project will be done in three phases. After the Phase 1 section opened last year, road traffic significantly improved. Later, the city government will add on rosy trumpet trees and 4m-wide sidewalks, making it a delight for local residents and commuters. It will also make roads safer for pedestrians, including kids at a local elementary school.

There’s no end to the traffic flow. According to statistics, Beitun District now has the largest and fastest-growing population in Taichung, now exceeding 300,000. The fast population growth is reflected in road traffic. To ease congestion along the north-south Dongguang Road and east-west Songzhu Road, the Taichung City Government launched the Dongguang Road construction project. Phase 1 of the project was completed last year.

Back in 2018, Songzhu Station located right on the intersection opened, thanks to railway reconstruction efforts elevating existing and new tracks. The project soon paid off, reconnecting road traffic previously divided by ground-level tracks. Later, after the Taichung MRT’s Green Line opened in 2021, infrastructure and population growth also got a significant boost.

Resident
Taichung
I usually ride a scooter, because cars always get stuck in traffic, so I think once the section at the back opens, there will be a noticeable difference.

Resident
Taichung
For now, there’s one-way traffic coming from that direction. Once this section opens, traffic will go both ways. I think that will make traffic safer and prevent cars from getting stuck in a traffic jam here.

Road traffic demand continues to rise with the growing population, and so the Taichung City Government launched the Dongguang Road construction project, to be done in three phases. Phase 1 was completed and opened in October last year, running between Section 1, Songzhu Road and Nanxing 3rd Road, opening regional pathways and easing traffic around Songzhu train station.

Chen Ta-tien
Taichung Construction Bureau
The city government is investing more than NT$6.3 billion in the Dongguang Road construction project. It’s the most important transportation project in Beitun District. Once the project is complete, it will connect with two major lanes, Songzhu Road and Dongshan Road, as well as the railway and MRT, making it extremely beneficial to regional transportation and development.

After the Phase 1 section opened, the problem of cars getting stuck in nearby alleys was solved, and local road traffic also noticeably improved.

Chen Ta-tien
Taichung Construction Bureau
The 30m-wide Dongguang Road improved traffic efficiency and local traffic conditions. Meanwhile, we also plan to add on a 4m-wide sidewalk to ensure pedestrian safety.

Kids attending the elementary school on Dongguang Road are at risk, with frequent traffic jams at the front gate. Once the road widens and a 4m-wide sidewalk is added, safety will improve for kids on foot.

Crossing guard
Dongguang Elementary School
There aren’t any sidewalks around the campus. Once the road opens, a new project to build a widened sidewalk will kick off, allowing kids to enter through the front gate.

Rosy trumpet trees will also be planted along both sides of Dongguang Road, painting Beitun District pretty in pink every spring season.

Chen Ta-tien
Taichung Construction Bureau
Rosy trumpet trees will be planted along Dongguang Road, turning it into a romantic pink boulevard and bringing beautiful urban sceneries into residents’ daily life.

Taichung recently began Phases 2 and 3 of the project, running from Nanxing 1st Road to Section 1, Dongshan Road and from Nanxing 3rd Road to Nanxing 1st Road, respectively. Once the whole stretch is completed and opens, it will offer relief to traffic around Dongguang Elementary before and after school, and also make traffic on Songzhu Road and Dongshan Road much smoother. Soon, commuting will be a breeze for the growing population in Beitun District.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#taichung #infrastructure #transportation #construction

2026-04-21

Fourth-generation owner joins family blacksmith business in Taichung

During Taiwan’s agricultural heyday, an entire street in Taichung’s Nantun District was dedicated to making iron farm tools. But as the times have changed, these dozens of businesses have dwindled down to only one. Tsai Chin-yung used to work in a trading business before taking over his family’s 80-year-old plow shop. As the fourth generation to take over, he’s blazing his own trail in the hopes of reviving the family’s time-honored establishment.

A father and son blacksmith work together, showing remarkable synergy after over a decade of practice.

Tsai Chin-yung, clad in camouflage, braves the heat to stoke the furnace.

When the time is right, he takes a slab of iron out of the flames, hammering it into the perfect shape.

Their family has been selling plows at this shop in Taichung’s Nantun District for 80 years. As agriculture has changed, their neighbors on Nantun’s old street have all closed up shop, leaving only the Tsai family businesses.

Tsai Ching-lung
Second-generation owner
There used to be dozens of blacksmiths here in Nantun. Now we’re the only ones left. I started when I was a little over 10 years old. It’s been over 80 years.

Tsai Chin-yung is now the fourth generation in the family to join the business, leaving his job in trade a number of years ago already. But blacksmithing isn’t easy. Just mastering the temperature is an art in and of itself.

Tsai Chin-yung
Fourth-generation owner
It was hard at first because I didn’t understand anything. He said, What aren’t you getting? And then he’d start yelling at me. And it wasn’t just him. Grandpa would also join in. I had no idea what I was doing! But Dad taught me step by step.

Tsai Tien-shun
Third-generation owner
Of course it isn’t easy. He studied business before. I told him, Coming back here to join us will be hard. It’s hot in summer. But he wanted to learn, so I’ll keep passing down the knowledge.

They say it takes a decade to hone a skill. Tsai Chin-yung really did work hard for 10 years. Now he’s forging his own path.

These Damascus steel knives were made by layering different alloys to create unique spiraling patterns of concentric circles and undulating lines, targeting a distinct high-end market.

Tsai Chin-yung
Fourth-generation owner
I was restless. I didn’t want to keep doing the same old thing. But for knives, you start by adjusting the steel, then you smooth out the lines, followed by crafting the sheath. Then you incorporate bone and other materials to create the dagger.

Not satisfied with remaining complacent, Tsai Chin-yung is forging a new path for his family’s 80-year-old business, finely crafted to suit the newer generations.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#blacksmith #familybusiness #Taichung #metalwork #craftsmanship #knives #plows #agriculture #Nantun #oldstreet

2026-04-21

Keelung riverside a danger zone as egret breeding season arrives

You might want to take shelter if you’re on the riverside of Keelung, because if you’re not careful, you might become the target of egret droppings. As egret breeding season arrives, these birds are nesting on tree branches along the river. Waste management for egrets means direct disposal below, so nothing underneath the canopies is spared. Seeing the nuisance they’ve caused, the Keelung City Government has temporarily removed a few high-risk parking spots.

This is Ren 1st Road in Keelung. A car parked along the Tianliao River is heavily covered in white spots—droppings from egrets perched on the tree branches above. It’s now their breeding season, and large numbers of little egrets and eastern cattle egret are nesting in trees, their waste disposal directly aimed at parked cars under the canopies.

- Don’t you find it risky to park here?
- Yes.
People told me this spot is safer, but I disagree.
Hahaha…

A white SUV is about to park, but the driver immediately changed their mind. They must’ve noticed the spotty sidewalk, because they won’t even stop for a single moment longer in the parking space.

Not just cars, but pedestrians too are on high alert while passing through this danger zone. They shuffle past the area quickly, lest they linger a second too long and become a target.

- Can’t do anything but wear a hat.
- There are so many bird droppings.
- Yeah.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the bird droppings are everywhere, from the sidewalk, to tree trunks and even road signs. To spare car owners of trouble cleaning up, the Keelung City Department of Transportation has temporarily cancelled parking spots under the nests.

Huang Shih-han
Keelung City Department of Transportation
We’ve gotten a vendor in the past two days to cancel around a dozen parking spots.

The city government also says that in the future, they’ll make sure to prune excess branches before the egret breeding season to avoid mess and afflictions to local residents.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#keelung #birds #wildlife #egrets #herons

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Garbage disposal truck workers caught dumping waste in drain

A team of waste disposal workers was caught red-handed on Monday dumping kitchen waste straight into a roadside drain in Taichung. The sneaky operation left puddles of garbage liquid and chunks of food waste on the road, stinking up the area. When they were confronted by neighbors, the workers rushed to clean the site, but the issue hasn’t ended there. Local DPP councilors held a protest on Tuesday to slam the city administration, saying that mismanagement has led to the unsanitary scene. Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen says fines will be issued.

Puddles of chunky kitchen waste line the side of the road, even flowing onto the road surface. This disgusting scene was caused by none other than a waste disposal team under Taichung’s Environmental Protection Bureau.

The team was busted dumping waste right into the road drains. When confronted by passersby, they said that their collection tubs were full and so they looked for a way to dispose of the waste. After getting caught red-handed they immediately whipped out brooms and a bucket of water to give the road a quick scrub. But the unbearable stench remained.

Local (Voice anonymized)
Lives nearby
When I saw it yesterday, I went out to take a closer look. I thought it was all very fishy. There was a worker moving the drain cover with his foot. I didn’t know what they were cleaning. There was just a lot of liquid.

Lu Shiow-yen
Taichung Mayor
They took shortcuts and dumped the kitchen waste there. They should be severely punished and fined. The Environmental Protection Bureau should issue them a fine.

Sung Pao-jui
Environmental Protection Bureau
The perpetrators will be punished with demerits and the bureau will impose fines of between NT$1,200 and NT$6,000 for violating the Waste Disposal Act.

Our reporter went to the scene, where the Environmental Protection Bureau had dispatched a spray truck, a disinfection truck and three workers to clean up the mess. The incident has infuriated local DPP councilors, who hauled four tubs used for collecting waste to stage a protest outside the Taichung City Hall and confront mayor Lu Shiow-yen.

Shih Chih-chang
Taichung City Councilor (DPP)
Is it kitchen waste juices? Or garbage water from your trucks? Whatever it is, is it OK to just dump it down the drain?

Wang Li-jen
Taichung City Councilor (DPP)
If the waste disposal workers are doing things like this, it’s clear that the government is mismanaging the city.

Lin Chi-feng
Taichung City Councilor (DPP)
The mayor isn’t doing anything. She’s providing no solutions to deal with the kitchen waste, causing workers to find a solution of their own and dump it in the roadside drains. It’s no wonder the streets of Taichung stink.

The Environmental Protection Bureau responded quickly in an attempt to quell public anger. But the incident has raised questions, if even sanitation workers are flouting basic rules, what other issues could be yet to be uncovered?

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#waste #trash #sanitation #shortcut #taichung

2026-04-21

Homeless man uses transformer box as locker, gets shocked and burned

A homeless man in Tainan was left with extensive burns after he got a high-voltage electrical shock from a transformer box that ended up causing a fire. The man, surnamed Huang, has reportedly been in the area for 10 years. He somehow got the key to the transformer box and used it as a locker for recyclable waste that he planned to sell. Mr. Huang sustained injuries from the fire, which also caused a power outage at the elementary school nearby.

A fire has broken out on the lawn, right by the transformer box. Nearby, a man sits at the roadside, topless, because his shirt had caught fire and burned away.

He sustained extensive burns on the back and left elbow. He tries to soothe the pain with a hose.

- I got a shock from the wires inside and my whole body caught fire.
- The fire started when you stiffed things inside, right?

When the firefighters arrived, they rushed to cover his burns with wet gauze. But the area was so large that they ended up covering him with a bed sheet and wetted it. Then, he was carried onto the stretcher and sent to the hospital.

Lin Hsiao-peng
Tainan City Government Fire Bureau
According to our paramedics’ assessment, he has second-degree burns on the back and elbows.

The injured man, surnamed Huang, is a homeless person in the area. He usually stays near the intersection of Xialin Road and Xinxing Road in Tainan, and uses a high-voltage transformer box as a locker for the recyclables he plans to sell. That’s also how he got a high-voltage shock and caused an explosion. All three fuses inside the box were blown, and the nearby Xinxing Elementary School was also affected and had no electricity the next morning. It’s all because of this accident.

Tseng Kuo-chang
Xinxing Elementary School
Inside, there were cardboard fruit boxes and about two to three bags of large-sized waste. There was even an item of waste that was suspended in the air. He’s been in the area for about ten years. He puts all his recyclables and waste on the lawn, and even relives himself at the back.

The elementary school official says that Huang has long treated the nearby public space as his own dumping ground, and school kids often have to clean up after him, which is a real nuisance. But how did he manage to open the transformer box in the first place?

- He has the key.
- How did he get the key?
- We always lock up these boxes otherwise.

The transformer boxes are so dangerous that even Taipower technicians have to wear insulating protective clothing and gloves before working on them. It’s a miracle that Huang could even survive from such a high-voltage electrical shock. The accident revealed misappropriation of public facilities by the homeless man and perhaps even mismanagement of power infrastructure.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#homeless #utilities #grid #electricity #infrastructure

2026-04-21

Man on dialysis travels 9,000km to see Northern Lights in Canada

Many people starting dialysis believe that they will be permanently dependent on medical facilities. But that’s not always the case, as one of Taiwan’s 100,000 dialysis patients proved this past February. He’s Chen Te-sheng, a 44-year-old who’s been on dialysis for 15 years. Earlier this year, he packed 40kg of dialysis fluid with him on a 9,000km trip to Yellowknife in Canada, to see the Northern Lights. Mr. Chen hopes that his journey will encourage more people like him to pursue their dreams.

Chen Te-sheng
Traveled while on dialysis
There is a chance you don’t make it, so I just thought… what if I succumb after being on dialysis for five years? I realized I wanted to make my dream come true, so I went to Canada. It was 12 hours to Vancouver plus 3 hours to Yellowknife. Every day, I went through three packs of dialysis fluid, which is 6kg. I used the clothes hangers at the hotel to set it up and disinfected it with alcohol. I sprayed it everywhere and wiped everything down. I weighed the solution every time, and avoid fluid overload. I sent data about my blood pressure and the dialysis fluid to the nurses as soon as possible.

Yang Ju-yeh
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital
A soft tube is inserted in the abdomen, and the patient’s own peritoneum acts as a filter. This form of dialysis doesn’t require injections, and can be done at any time. It gives the patient flexibility and it’s quite gentle.

Mr. Chen is trying to bust the myth that dialysis must absolutely be done at a medical institution. Thanks to portable peritoneal dialysis devices, patients themselves can change the fluid three to five times a day. It’s clean and safe and allows them to do what they wish with their time. Mr. Chen says that now that he’s seen the Northern Lights, his next stop will be Europe. And he hopes he won’t be the only one chasing his dreams.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#dialysis #medicine #northernlights #yellowknife #inspirational

2026-04-21