A tea factory began operations April 7 in southern Taiwan’s Lijia Village, bringing hope and a new means of livelihood to residents of one of the areas hardest hit by Typhoon Morakot in 2009.
The factory was built with financial support from giant chip-maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., according to the Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council.
“This is a new milestone for industrial development in the village,” the council’s CEO Chern Jenn-chuan said at the opening ceremony.
“TSMC is a superb international enterprise that has actively donated NT$70 million (US$2.3 million) to assist in reconstructing the village,” Chern pointed out. “The company has supported the construction of a bamboo shoot processing plant to bolster local economic income, assisted villagers in legalizing homestay accommodations, and provided stargazing equipment and funds to train astronomy guides.
“The new tea factory and its equipment are both world class,” the CEO added, stressing that the efforts by TSMC have helped boost local tourism and industrial development.
TSMC noted that tea is a crop with high economic value and the second main agricultural product in the village after bamboo.
“The region produces 40,800 kilograms of tea every year, generating an annual production value of NT$15 million,” the company said. “Volunteers with TSMC will be stationed in the plant to help villagers in creating added value to the tea, from which we hope their income can be boosted by 15 percent to 20 percent.”
Lijia Village—located in Alishan Township, Chiayi County—was devastated by Typhoon Morakot, the worst storm to strike Taiwan in half a century. The storm brought more than 2,500 millimeters of rain in the Alishan region in just four short days, flooding farmlands, factories and houses. (HZW)
