Introduction: Dong Nan Joy & Hope Wheat Team joined the 2015 Cyberfair, by taking “To do one thing for Taiwan’s Agricultural-Joy &Hope Wheat” as their research subject. They interviewed with Mr. Chi-sheng Liu of Dacheng Wheat’s Production and Marketing Group specially on February 6,2015. The interview record is listed below for reference:
1. What’s the set up time and motivation of Dacheng Wheat Production and the Marketing Group?
Dacheng Wheat Production and the Marketing Group was founded in July, 2012. The motivation was that we attempted to do an experiment at the beginning. We tried to plant wheat experimentally even when the government put no allowance on planting side crops (plant wheat), but we were still willing to have a try. After planting, we found that wheat is very easy to grow; it doesn’t need a lot of manpower or much water sources. And from a point of having fun, we found out that wheat can make money after harvest. To me, it did not need to use any pesticides or chemical fertilizers or herbicides to plant wheat; neither did we catch sparrows or doves. We let them to eat if the birds wanted to.
2. How is the development status of Dacheng Wheat Production and the Marketing Group?
In the first year, our planting area was just about 9 hectares. Because of having benefit and no suitable winter corps, those empty fields planted wheat in winter. People would be interested in growing wheat for money, and wheat does not need to spend too much cost or manpower on it, it can survive only if you throw it in the fields. So by the second year, the wheat planting area increased to 50 hectares. As a matter of fact, our production had exceeded Taiga though our planting area was less.
This year, our planting area has leaped to 180 hectares in Dacheng Township, and the part of Xi Yuan is about 150 hectares. With the join of the rice mill, the whole acreage of Dacheng Township is about 200 hectares which has exceeded Taiga already. I believe that our planting area is the largest in the future which cannot be shaken. Because the grinding mill of Xi Yuan is next to Dacheng, we have the confidence that Dacheng Township will become a wheat zone, and become better and better as years pass by. Also, we will continue to exploit wheat products for diversified development.
3. What’s the bottleneck and trouble for the development of Dacheng Wheat Production and Marketing Group? How can they be overcome or improved?
Currently, our workers are mostly elder people, and Dacheng which is at the southwest of the Changhua County is near by the mouth of Jhuoshuei River and Taiwan strait. The northeast monsoon is very strong in winter, so a lot of people moved outward. There has no big factory which is the reason for people’s outflow and only elder people stay home. Because they are smallholder farmers whose cultivation area is not large, it’s hard to change their mind from original farming to non- pesticide and non-chemical fertilizer farming. In any case, we told that old man the purpose of our wheat planting. In addition to the earth friendly, we make money also. Many farmers have no idea of cost; they use a lot of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and cost much on seeds and vegetables without calculating the cost. They spend a lot of manpower on farming without calculating the cost either. They only thought that they might have 50 thousand NTD profit by cutting down 150 thousand NTD cost from 200 thousand NTD incomes. However, we plant the wheat by throwing it into the fields only, which needs a little manpower. We cost only 15 thousand money to get 70 thousand NTD incomes, and our net profit is about 50 thousand NTD. So we have to teach those farmers who will not change their minds easily, you want to earn 50 thousand NTD with ease or put a lot of heart and sweat on spraying pesticide in and out every day to make 80 or 100 thousand NTD money, which one would you choose?
Our advocating is the main reason for the growing of planting area this year. When spraying pesticides, some chemicals which is harmful to human may be inhaled by people, and many elder farmers get cancer. So we persuade them to earn the money and finally go to the hospital to pay a doctor. I want to give you a concept here, we have two choices in our lives, one is to choose healthy agricultural products, and the other is to choose industrial products which make you pay for a doctor.
4. What’s your expectation for the future of Dacheng Wheat Production and the Marketing Group?
In the future, we will do what we should do; we will do it in our own way, no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers and no herbicides. We will continue our job in accordance with the rules of this game, because we believe that it has the greatest help for people, earth and all the consumers around. Our expectation for the future is to develop the features of Dacheng Township, and promote it out, let the people all over the country think of wheat by mentioning Dacheng Township.
