(www.chinataiwan.org)
Updated: 2003-07-21 16:43

One-quarter of the total area in Taiwan is arable and fully cultivated. Sloping areas and dry riverbeds are also under cultivation, as also are the tidal lands in the west.

The single most important crop is rice, with a total planted area of about 1,000,000 acres. More than 60 percent of the paddy fields are double cropped and nearly two-thirds of the rice produced is higher-grade pon-lairice.

Sugarcane is another important agricultural product, with a total planted area of 235,000 acres. Tea plantation is mostly in the north. Hemp and jute are grown in the middle and eastern part, while a different variety of hemp is grown in the south. Pineapple is one of the principal export products.

Fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, litchis, longans, peaches, watermelons, and oranges abound; all these fruits are canned for export. Vegetables are much sufficient to meet the consumption needs of the island.