Taiwan-China Free Trade Agreement

He didn’t say it is no good. He said he has to spend too much time to filter the herbs for things that are bad, as he doesn’t want to lower the quality of his medicine - and potentially causing harm to his patients.

And the time he spends on filtering would make up for the cost difference in importing the stuff from China. But then again, you cannot see more than your own pocket, so who cares if Taiwanese are poisoned by Chinese herbs… you don’t live here, what would you care…

Well I do have a basis for western medicine…

But if you want to eat herbs as a cure for aliments where nobody really knows the active ingredients and doses necessary, go right ahead. The Darwin Award is open to all takers…

So I’m assuming if the herbs were grown in Taiwan, the shifting through the herbs for quality would be less labor intensive?

Probably it wouldn’t exist, as many farmers would start to work closely with the doctors. The big problem is that the government stopped this process by simply prefering to import the herbs, and not by pushing the CoA to do it’s job. The profit stays all with a few people, instead of helping out the Taiwanese farmers, and, therefore, the local economy. As for you, because you are not the average Taiwanese, you consume western medicine…

The biggest cash crop in Taiwan is binglang.

I don’t see how Chinese medicine herbs really help the farmers. The market is quite limited for that stuff.

[quote=“ac_dropout”]The biggest cash crop in Taiwan is binglang.

[/quote]

Not to be nitpicky, but it is the second biggest cash crop after rice.

solomonstarnews.com/index.php?op … &Itemid=26

[quote]In 1998, considered the peak production season for the crop, betel nut hauled in US$4.2 billion for the local economy – lot of dough!
Although production has declined due to low prices, betel nut still occupies the number two spot on the country’s cash crop account.[/quote]

[quote=“ac_dropout”]The biggest cash crop in Taiwan is binglang.

I don’t see how Chinese medicine herbs really help the farmers. The market is quite limited for that stuff.[/quote]

any market that exists is still able to import 100K+ Tons of one single herb from China. However small that quantity you think that is, it would take a few farmers to be able to produce it, therefore, it would probably allow some to shift from their low-income production to these ones. Diversification of cultures allows better profitability, as less farmers produce the same. This could also alleviate some of the current over-supply that some produce have.

Of course, you being in a cave wouldn’t ever dream of this…

Betel nut production is about 1,900,000 million tons in Taiwan. We import about 1,900 million tons per year for domestic consumption.

You haven’t even mention what herb you are discussing…but relatively speaking 100,000 tons is a lot smaller than 1,900,000,000,000 tons in imports.

I’d be quite happy to see Taiwanese betel nut farmers underpriced by Chinese. Do wonders for the environment here.

I don’t know exactly the name of the herb, I didn’t catch it. But it is real. Many other herbs are being imported for equal ammounts.

And 100K Tons a year, even with a relative price of 1NT per kilo, that is 100.000.000NT given to China, that could be produced locally. Give it to 100 farmers, that is a 100.000 NT extra for something they can grow outside their farms. Now tell me it is logical to import it from China, and not grow it locally? Multiply it for the dozens and dozens of different herbs used in traditional medicine, and you will see how much money someone is pocketing down at the CoA.

[quote=“ac_dropout”]Betel nut production is about 1,900,000 million tons in Taiwan. We import about 1,900 million tons per year for domestic consumption.

You haven’t even mention what herb you are discussing…but relatively speaking 100,000 tons is a lot smaller than 1,900,000,000,000 tons in imports.[/quote]

I havent read the whole thread but this seems incredible!

1,900,000 million tons domestic? Thats over 8000 tons per person living in Taiwan. But if thats not enough, apparently an additional 82 tons per person is needed.

then Ac’s off talking about 100,000 tons (which matches neither of the two incredibly large import and domestic numbers provided. Which apparently is smaller that 1,900,000 million tons used to be domestic and now is imports.

How many beers was this post written on I wonder.

[quote=“mr_boogie”]I don’t know exactly the name of the herb, I didn’t catch it. But it is real. Many other herbs are being imported for equal ammounts.

And 100K Tons a year, even with a relative price of 1NT per kilo, that is 100.000.000NT given to China, that could be produced locally. Give it to 100 farmers, that is a 100.000 NT extra for something they can grow outside their farms. Now tell me it is logical to import it from China, and not grow it locally? Multiply it for the dozens and dozens of different herbs used in traditional medicine, and you will see how much money someone is pocketing down at the CoA.[/quote]

It is not logical because the loss of land from erosion and landslides, the costs of repairing such land, and bridges, roads, etc, affected by betelnut growing is fair larger than the money it brings in.

I think the herb being discussed is Hops. Very important for Taiwan’s best selling herbal tonic.

Actually, i wish they’d import lots more, because there really doesn’t seem to be much in most Taiwan beers.

It is not, it is a flower type, just that I don’t really know which one. I think something like the Angelica Sinensis (當歸)…

According to this post on Taiwan Aujoud’hui http://taiwanauj.nat.gov.tw/fp.asp?xItem=20047&CtNode=122,

This is from 2003, and one can see that just for a single species, we are talking about pretty big bucks.

I’ve been helping my brother-in-law on his research for as much as I remember (the first time I met my wife I gave her 20 packs of seedlings for European aromatic and medicinal plants, so you can imagine). His research led to the identification of many plants that can be successfuly harvested in Taiwan, but most of it now is thrown to the shelves due to changes on the CoA. I guess that is how Taiwan economy will be saved, isn’t it?