# Ministry of Agriculture (Taiwan)

The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA; Chinese: 農業部; pinyin: Nóngyè Bù; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lông-gia̍p-pō͘) 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. CAO 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:  Kuomintang  Democratic Progressive Party  Non-partisan/ unknown
| No. | Name | Term of Office | Term of Office | Days | Party | Premier |
| Minister of the Sino-American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction |||||||
| 1 | Jiang Menglin (蔣夢麟) | October 1948 | August 1964 | | Kuomintang | Weng Wenhao Sun Fo He Yingqin Yan Xishan Chen Cheng I Yu Hung-Chun Chen Cheng II Yen Chia-kan |
| 2 | Shen Tsung-han [zh] (沈宗瀚) | August 1964 | May 1973 | | | Yen Chia-kan Chiang Ching-kuo |
| 3 | Robert C. T. Lee (李崇道) | May 1973 | March 1979 | | | Chiang Ching-kuo Sun Yun-suan |
| Minister of Council for Agricultural Planning and Development (since 16 March 1979) |||||||
| 1 | Robert C. T. Lee (李崇道) | March 1979 | August 1981 | | | Sun Yun-suan |
| 2 | Chang Hsien-chiu (張憲秋) | August 1981 | June 1984 | | | Sun Yun-suan Yu Kuo-hua |
| 3 | Wang You-tsao (王友釗) | June 1984 | September 1984 | | | Yu Kuo-hua |
| Minister of Council of Agriculture (since July 1984) |||||||
| 1 | Wang You-tsao (王友釗) | September 1984 | July 1988 | | | Yu Kuo-hua |
| 2 | Yu Yu-hsien (余玉賢) | July 1988 | November 1992 | | | Yu Kuo-hua Lee Huan Hau Pei-tsun |
| 3 | Paul Sun (孫明賢) | November 1992 | June 1996 | | | Hau Pei-tsun Lien Chan |
| 4 | Tjiu Mau-ying (邱茂英) | 10 June 1996 | 14 May 1997 | 338 | | Lien Chan |
| 5 | Peng Tso-kwei (彭作奎) | 15 May 1997 | 6 December 1999 | 935 | | Lien Chan Vincent Siew |
| — | Lin Hsiang-nung (林享能) | 6 December 1999 | 19 May 2000 | 164 | Kuomintang | Vincent Siew |
| 6 | Chen Hsi-huang (陳希煌) | 20 May 2000 | 31 January 2002 | 621 | | Tang Fei Chang Chun-hsiung I |
| 7 | Fan Chen-tsung (范振宗) | 1 February 2002 | 2 December 2002 | 304 | Democratic Progressive Party | Yu Shyi-kun |
| 8 | Lee Chin-lung (李金龍) | 3 December 2002 | 24 January 2006 | 1451 | | Yu Shyi-kun Frank Hsieh |
| 9 | Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) | 25 January 2006 | 19 May 2008 | 845 | Democratic Progressive Party | Su Tseng-chang I Chang Chun-hsiung II |
| 10 | Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) | 20 May 2008 | 5 February 2012 | 1356 | Kuomintang | Liu Chao-shiuan Wu Den-yih |
| 11 | Chen Bao-ji (陳保基) | 6 February 2012 | 31 January 2016 | 1455 | Kuomintang | Sean Chen Jiang Yi-huah Mao Chi-kuo |
| 12 | Chen Chih-ching (陳志清) | 1 February 2016 | 19 May 2016 | 108 | Kuomintang | Chang San-cheng |
| 13 | Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) | 20 May 2016 | 7 February 2017 | 263 | Democratic Progressive Party | Lin Chuan |
| 14 | Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) | 8 February 2017 | 3 December 2018 | 663 | Democratic Progressive Party | Lin Chuan William Lai |
| — | Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) | 4 December 2018 | 13 January 2019 | 40 | | William Lai |
| 15 | Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) | 14 January 2019 | 31 July 2023 | 1659 | | Su Tseng-chang II Chen Chien-jen |
| Minister of Agriculture (since August 2023) |||||||
| 1 | Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) | 1 August 2023 | 20 September 2023 | 50 | | Chen Chien-jen |
| — | Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) | 21 September 2023 | 20 May 2024 | 242 | | Chen Chien-jen |
| 2 | Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) | 20 May 2024 | Incumbent | 298 | | 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 dispered 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.