Pingzhen Hosts Thousand-Person Rice Harvest Meal; Taoyuan Plans to Expand Senior Card Usage at Farmers Associations

Central News Agency, Taoyuan, July 18

Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng attended the 'Centennial Rice Aroma: Thousand-Person Rice Harvest Meal' event in Pingzhen District today. He stated that the rice harvest meal is not only an important agricultural tradition but also embodies the spirit of mutual cooperation and shared harvest that defined rural life in the past. The city government is currently deliberating on expanding the usage scope of the 'Senior Citizen Love and Care Card'.

During his address at the event organized by the Pingzhen Farmers Association, Chang noted that during the busy harvest seasons of the past, neighbors and relatives would help each other gather crops, and the host would banquet the participants afterward, forming the 'rice harvest meal' culture. The Pingzhen Farmers Association has preserved this tradition for years through events like this meal, as well as the 'Thousand-Person Mustard Green Treading' and 'Radish Festival,' successfully creating a representative agricultural brand for Taoyuan.

Chang pointed out that in addition to enhancing elderly benefits, the city is reviewing the usage of the care cards. Beyond planning to authorize their use for purchases within the farmers association system, the city is also considering expanding the types of services available to enhance convenience and care efficiency. The government intends to roll out these programs quickly to support more seniors.

Taoyuan's Agriculture Bureau noted that beyond the harvest meal event, the city continuously promotes food and agriculture education, having implemented free nutritious school lunches for elementary and junior high schools. The city uses domestic, traceable 'Three Marks and one Q' ingredients exclusively, ensuring food safety for students while supporting local agriculture. Future efforts will integrate specialty agricultural products, hands-on farming experiences, and environmental education, linking resources between farmers associations, young farmers, and schools to boost rural revitalization and sustainable industry development. (Editor: Zhang Mingkun)