讀後心得

Taipei City Comprehensive Report, facing turbulent international circumstances, our country's food self-sufficiency rate is only 30%, the lowest in 18 years. Minister of Economic Affairs Guo Zhihui stated that there are countermeasures, but did not disclose specific details. With foreign media reporting that China may block Taiwan, energy and material reserves have become the focus. According to the 2023 report, the low food self-sufficiency rate, especially the grain self-sufficiency rate, is only 25.5%. Experts suggest enhancing self-sufficiency and storing food independently to address potential crises.

Facing changes in the international situation, if our country enters a state of emergency in the future, will our water, electricity, and food be sufficient to cope? According to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture, the domestic food self-sufficiency rate is only 30%, the lowest record in 18 years. With recent foreign media reports suggesting that China may impose a blockade on Taiwan, the issue of wartime supplies has again become a focal point. The Minister of Economic Affairs stated that countermeasures have been prepared but declined to disclose specific details.

The Minister of Economic Affairs mentioned that measures have been formulated to address energy supply reserves during wartime; however, in public contexts dealing with sensitive issues, when faced with ongoing threats of blockade, the minister only stated, "We have countermeasures in place for that, but it's inconvenient to answer how long they will last."

Lawmaker also inquired about our energy self-sufficiency if we were to face a blockade by the Chinese Communist Party, and the Minister of Economic Affairs assured that there were no issues regarding energy. However, the self-sufficiency rate for food is concerning. According to the latest food supply and demand annual report, the domestic food self-sufficiency rate is still only 30%, while the self-sufficiency rates for grains and vegetables have reached their lowest points in nearly a decade.

Some lawmakers mentioned that whether setting the food self-sufficiency rate target at 40% is sufficient to respond to an emergency situation needs further discussion and warned that if the Ministry of Agriculture cannot propose concrete solutions, even maintaining the current self-sufficiency rate will face challenges.

Looking back to April 2020, the domestic public grain stock was about 860,000 tons, plus at least 1.1 million tons from private grain merchants, not including the new harvest of crops. Calculating with a monthly consumption of 100,000 tons, this could support at least 9 to 11 months. Although the Ministry of Agriculture is unable to disclose the latest stock due to national security considerations, scholars believe that there should be at least 3 months of rice safety stock, especially if the harvest that year is abundant, it would be sufficient.

However, besides white rice, there are hidden concerns regarding wheat, which relies 95% on imports, and other sources of protein. Experts point out that if ports are blocked, imports such as feed, corn, and soybeans will inevitably be obstructed, directly impacting the rearing of poultry and livestock, ultimately affecting meat supply.

Scholars suggest that the food self-sufficiency rate should be improved; the public should store at least 3 months of food, and consider producing alternative feed to replace imports, to be well-prepared against potential external threats.