◆《What is rice production and sales special area?》
After joining the WTO, Taiwan had to compete with imported rice. In order to strengthen the quality and competitiveness of rice in Taiwan, Agriculture and Food Agency, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan promoted the Rice Production and Sales Special Area Program in 2005. To put it in simple words, rice producing towns and townships, rice growers, rice seedling cultivators, milling operators, and marketing and sales agents were integrated to setup a rice production and sales in one operation area. One advantage of setting up this special area is that it helps reduce costs, expand rice industrial business scale, and distinguish production area and brand features. The consumption market will be prompted to place importance on rice production area, variety, and quality classification so that “high quality” and “high value” Taiwan Rice can be created. In the following, we shall briefly introduce the production and sales area in accordance with Rice Production and Sales Special Area Work Manual setup by Food and Agriculture Agency.
　
◆《Minimum standard -50 persons, 60 hectares of rice fields,》
It is not an easy thing to establish a rice production and sales special area. The special area can be consisted of rice dealers and farmer groups or it can be applied by individual rice dealers and farmer groups. Basically, the members have to be production, manufacture, and sales persons including rice growers, seedling cultivators, milling processors, marketing and sales staffs and they have to total to over 50 persons. Participating rice growers also need to join related lectures, trainings and competitions to improve rice quality in the special area. They must comply with rice field operations inside the special area. No self-operation is permitted. Other than the minimum number of people required (50persons) the program also regulates that contract rice field area in the special area is at least 60 hectares and compulsory participation in double Paddy Crops for Every Year (term 1 and term 2) deems necessary. In order to ensure quality, rice fields in the special area should uniformly purchase seedlings, pesticides, and fertilizers. The machinery tillage service system is also commonly adopted to lower costs. 　

◆《Implementing strict environmental testing and production traceability system》
It is not easy for rice growers to join the special area. First of all, the production environments (including irrigation water source, water quality, and soil etc) of their rice fields should first be assessed by Agricultural Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan or Agricultural Research & Extension Station, COA. In order to ensure rice safety and quality inside the special area, rice field irrigation water source is tested at least once annually. Also, rice field soil metal content and fertility analysis tests are conducted prior to each rice seedling transplanting term. Test reports are submitted to supervisory bureaus for record keeping.
In addition to environmental testing, the special area also needs to abide by reasonable fertilizer application and reduced pesticide cultivation regulations so that ecological, safe, and standard rice field operations can be truthfully implemented. Production traceability, written, and digital production data pool entries should be processing including peasant name, address, tillage land location, area, cultivation variety, growth condition, soil improvement, fertilizing, preventive chemical management, production yield, and pricing.
　
◆《Brand sales adoption; production and sales promotion center setup 》
One objective of Food and Agriculture Agency in promoting Production and Sales Special Area is that it helps establish locally featured brands. High quality rice is marketed and sold through branding. Good Rice Classification System helps to enhance good pricing. Meanwhile, rice grower and food operator benefits can be increased. Therefore, operation bodies inside the special area should setup brands which are duly registered at Intellectual Property Office, Ministry of Economic Affairs, ROC. Take the two rice production and sales special areas in Houbi Town for instance, Lian-Fa promoted “Shan Shui Rice” in Shang Shui Rice Production and Sales Area and “He Jia Rice” in Fang Rong Rice Production and Sales Special Area.
Another reason for brand adoption is to introduce rice sales into the free market mechanism and reduce governmental rice price subsidies. Therefore, Food and Agriculture Agency regulated that rice growers joining the special area should not submit public grains harvested. They should be acquired by operation bodies in the special area which are to be channeled to the free market in the form of self-created brands. Having only a brand is not enough, marketing and sales also have to be promoted. Other than product package design, advertising, and approach sales [including the internet], Food and Agriculture Agency also regulates that a 30-pin (a pin is equivalent to 36square feet) production and sales promotion center has to be setup inside the special area. It not only serves as a venue for member training, and assembly, domestic rice store operators, consumers and the media may also be informed onsite. Cooking demonstrations, food tasting and assessments may also be conducted. In conjunction with local recreational agriculture marketing and sales promotion, rice products of the special area are also promoted.