New Taipei City Government assisted Gu Fang Organic Tea Farm in obtaining Taiwan’s first Primary Agricultural Products Processing Yards Certificate. Small farmers are limited by the scale of their operations and were challenged to obtain packing house registration in the past, which affected the development of their sales channels. By getting the registration certificate of Primary Agricultural Products Processing Yards, small-scale farmers can meet the processing needs and relatively simple processing type; small farmers, therefore, can develop sales channels and move towards diversified markets. New Taipei City Government will assist more farmers in identifying relevant registrations.
The Council of Agriculture (COA) issued the Regulations Governing Primary Agricultural Products Processing Yards on March 26, 2010. The approved object of primary agricultural products processing yards is farmers. The three steps of application are: obtaining permission from farming facilities, passing relevant health and safety courses, and applying to the local government. Among them, the buildings applying for registration must comply with the farmland use specifications and regulations, the maximum scale of the processing plant facilities is 200 square meters, and the health and safety of the processing plant shall be by the GHP specifications. the raw materials for processing shall be domestic agricultural products traceable with “3 Certified Agricultural Standards and 1 QRcode.” Currently, the farm grain processing items listed in the festive table of regulations can be divided into four categories: drying, crushing, grinding, and baking, with a total of more than 200 processing items. What has obtained production and marketing history or organic processing certification is not included in the four categories of restrictions. Items and agricultural products not listed in the table may also apply to the COA for application.
Chang-Jiun Li of Gu Fang Organic Tea Farm, the farmer who obtained the first Primary Agricultural Products Processing Yards Certificate, said that after many years of operating organic tea gardens, many opportunities for cooperation in market channels were due to the lack of factory registration certificate, and it was impossible to cooperate with large-scale manufacturers in sales. Since the Council of Agriculture provided the application document format on April 16, they finished and quickly obtained the certificate with the assistance of the Agriculture Department within 20 days. Gu Fang Organic Tea Garden, therefore, will be more confident in the future that their highest-quality green tea powder will enter the supply channels of large chain stores and even join forces with well-known baking brands and hotel operators to launch more competitive products. Products of small farmers can be legally put on more large consumption channels, and more consumers will know about the fine tea in the Sanxia District.
Wen Lee, the Commissioner of the Agriculture Department, said that with the spirit of “Access to Markets: A Road to Sustainability,” the New Taipei City Government will continually assist farmers in need of Primary Agricultural Products Processing Yards Certificate registration and create added value for small-scale agricultural products. This policy will gather registered small-scale farmers to participate in the current agrarian market channel of New Taipei City. This will not only enable Taiwanese people to support local small-scale farmers and create the opportunity to sell their products on the international stage.
More Information:
Agriculture Department, New Taipei City Government Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Management Section Fu-Ling Yu / Chief Tel: 2960-3456 * 2980 Mobile: 0919-205-606