The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA; ) of Taiwan, formerly the Council of Agriculture, is the ministry under the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in charged with overseeing affairs related to agriculture, forestry, fishery, animal husbandry and food affairs. The COA is actively participating various FAO-led activities.
History In 1912, the Ministry of Basic Industries was created after the establishment of the Provisional Government of the ROC. The ministry was in charge for agriculture, forestry, industry and commerce in China. After the Beiyang Government was established in the same year, the ministry was divided into two office, one is to oversee the agriculture and forestry, and the other is to oversee the industry and commerce. In 1914, the two offices reemerged to become the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. In 1925, the Ministry of Basic Industries was installed but renamed to Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery. In 1930, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery and Ministry of Industry and Commerce were combined to form the Ministry of Basic Industries. In 1938, the ministry was changed to Ministry of Economic Affairs with the Department of Agriculture and Forestry was placed under it. In 1940, the department was expanded to become Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. In 1941, the ministry was changed to Agriculture and Forestry Administration.
On the other hand, there was the Sino-American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction (JCRR) established in Nanking in 1948. After the Kuomintang's defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, which saw the government evacuated to Taiwan, the JCRR moved there. That same year, the Department of Agriculture was created under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in which it was later renamed to Department of Agriculture and Forestry. In November 1981, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry was upgraded to Agriculture Bureau of the MOEA.
In 1978, the JCRR was changed to the Council for Agricultural Planning and Development (CAPD) under the Executive Yuan. On 20 July 1984, both of the CAPD and the Agriculture Bureau were merged to become the Council of Agriculture. In May 2022, the Executive Yuan approved the proposal to upgrade the council to the status of a ministry. In May 2023 the Organization Act of the Ministry of Agriculture was passed by the Legislative Yuan.
Organization structures Department of Planning Department of Animal Industry Department of Farmers’ Services Department of International Affairs Department of Science and Technology Department of Irrigation and Engineering Secretariat Personnel Office Accounting Office Civil Service Ethics Office Legal Affairs Committee Petitions and Appeals Committee Information Management Center
Agencies
Agriculture and Food Agency North Region Branch Central Region Branch Southern Region Branch Eastern Region Branch Fisheries Agency Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency Keelung Branch Hsinchu Branch Taichung Branch Kaohsiung Branch Agricultural Finance Agency Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency Luodong Forest District Office Hsinchu Forest District Office Dongshi Forest District Office Nantou Forest District Office Chiayi Forest District Office Pingtung Forest District Office Taitung Forest District Office Hualien Forest District Office Aerial Survey Office Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation First Engineering Office Second Engineering Office Third Engineering Office Fourth Engineering Office Fifth Engineering Office Sixth Engineering Office Irrigation Agency Agricultural Technology Park Administration Center Taiwan Agricultural Research institute Taiwan Forestry Research Institute Fisheries Research Institute Taiwan Livestock Research Institute Taitung Animal Propagation Station Veterinary Research Institute Animal Drugs Inspection Branch Taiwan Agricultural Chemicals Research Institute Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute Taoyuan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station Miaoli District Agricultural Research and Extension Station Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station Tea Research and Extension Station Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station
Ministers
Political Party:
No.NameTerm of Office DaysPartyPremier Minister of the Sino-American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction 1Jiang Menglin (蔣夢麟) October 1948 August 1964 Kuomintang Weng WenhaoSun FoHe YingqinYan XishanChen Cheng IYu Hung-ChunChen Cheng IIYen Chia-kan 2 (沈宗瀚) August 1964 May 1973 Yen Chia-kanChiang Ching-kuo 3Robert C. T. Lee (李崇道) May 1973 March 1979 Chiang Ching-kuoSun Yun-suan Minister of Council for Agricultural Planning and Development (since 16 March 1979) 1Robert C. T. Lee (李崇道) March 1979 August 1981 Sun Yun-suan 2Chang Hsien-chiu (張憲秋) August 1981 June 1984 Sun Yun-suanYu Kuo-hua 3Wang You-tsao (王友釗) June 1984 September 1984 Yu Kuo-hua Minister of Council of Agriculture (since July 1984) 1Wang You-tsao (王友釗) September 1984 July 1988 Yu Kuo-hua 2Yu Yu-hsien (余玉賢) July 1988 November 1992 Yu Kuo-huaLee HuanHau Pei-tsun 3Paul Sun (孫明賢) November 1992 June 1996 Hau Pei-tsunLien Chan 4Tjiu Mau-ying (邱茂英) 10 June 1996 14 May 1997 Lien Chan 5Peng Tso-kwei (彭作奎) 15 May 1997 6 December 1999 Lien ChanVincent Siew —Lin Hsiang-nung (林享能) 6 December 1999 19 May 2000 Kuomintang Vincent Siew 6Chen Hsi-huang (陳希煌) 20 May 2000 31 January 2002 Tang FeiChang Chun-hsiung I 7Fan Chen-tsung (范振宗) 1 February 2002 2 December 2002 Democratic Progressive Party Yu Shyi-kun 8 Lee Chin-lung (李金龍) 3 December 2002 24 January 2006 Yu Shyi-kunFrank Hsieh 9 Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) 25 January 2006 19 May 2008 Democratic Progressive Party Su Tseng-chang IChang Chun-hsiung II 10 Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) 20 May 2008 5 February 2012 Kuomintang Liu Chao-shiuanWu Den-yih 11Chen Bao-ji (陳保基) 6 February 2012 31 January 2016 Kuomintang Sean ChenJiang Yi-huahMao Chi-kuo 12Chen Chih-ching (陳志清) 1 February 2016 19 May 2016 Kuomintang Chang San-cheng 13Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) 20 May 2016 7 February 2017 Democratic Progressive Party Lin Chuan 14Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) 8 February 2017 3 December 2018 Democratic Progressive Party Lin ChuanWilliam Lai — Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) 4 December 2018 13 January 2019 William Lai 15 Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) 14 January 2019 31 July 2023 Su Tseng-chang IIChen Chien-jen Minister of Agriculture (since August 2023) 1 Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) 1 August 2023 20 September 2023 Chen Chien-jen — Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) 21 September 2023 20 May 2024 Chen Chien-jen 2 Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) 20 May 2024 Incumbent Cho Jung-tai
Operations The Ministry of Agriculture is tasked with ensuring many aspects of Taiwan's food security including in the event of war, this includes ensuring a legally mandated three month supply of rice. Reserve food supplies are dispersed around the country to make attacking them more difficult.
Access The ministry building is accessible within walking distance West from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station of the Taipei Metro.
See also Agriculture in Taiwan Economy of Taiwan 1450 Internet army, also kown as Council of Agriculture funding Internet army
References