The Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA) collaborates with local farmers' associations, agricultural production and marketing groups, and agricultural machinery operation services association to establish a shared leasing system for agricultural machinery services. This initiative aims to facilitate efficient matching and deployment of agricultural machinery.
Taiwan's agriculture primarily consists of small-scale farmers cultivating diverse crops. Different crops have varying growth periods and require different agricultural machinery, with large machinery being prohibitively expensive for individual small farmers to purchase. Even if purchased, these machines are only used during specific periods of the year, remaining idle during the off-season, causing financial strain and difficulty in turnover.
Usage-based Farm Machinery Sharing Platform
AFA, through its agricultural machinery sharing platform, facilitates farmers who own machinery to lease them to fellow farmers in need, thereby improving the efficiency of various types of agricultural machinery. Currently, the platform lists approximately 3,000 small and large machines available for rental, including various tractors, combine harvesters, wood chippers, lithium battery-powered lawn mowers, and agricultural drones. The lithium battery-powered electric small agricultural machines, which are environmentally friendly and reduce carbon emissions, have daily rental prices less than 100 NT dollars per day.
In the future, by integrating with agricultural human resources platforms and offering simple agricultural machinery maintenance courses, the popularity of agricultural machinery leasing can be further enhanced. Farmers can find suitable labor for operating and maintaining machinery, thereby enhancing farming efficiency, reducing cultivation costs, promoting sustainable resource circulation, and creating a shared economy in agriculture.
Benefits
- Farmers who already own machinery can generate additional income during the off-season by leasing their equipment through the agricultural machinery sharing platform, thereby easing financial pressures.
- Farmers needing automated and mechanized equipment during busy periods can opt for leasing instead of purchasing, reducing financial burdens and operational costs associated with machinery ownership.