TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is turning agricultural waste into new products as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with the initiative generating NT$150 million (US$4.7 million) in output, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The drive toward net-zero agriculture began in 2022, when the ministry unveiled a strategy to cut emissions by 2040. Since then, Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said the program has helped develop 49 products made from agricultural waste.
A total of 19 companies have joined the initiative, with combined investment reaching NT$320 million as businesses seek ways to put materials that would otherwise be discarded to new uses.
One example is yarn made from discarded oyster shells by a textile company in Tainan. The firm has also combined oyster shell powder with recycled plastic bottles to produce functional fibers, according to CNA.
Agricultural waste can also be reused as an energy source. A dried longan farm in Tainan, for instance, processes pruned branches and other dry wood from its grounds into biomass pellets. The pellets are then burned as fuel to dry longan.
Chen said cutting emissions from agriculture requires more than reducing energy consumption. Changes in farming and livestock practices are also needed, including measures to reduce methane emissions from rice cultivation and livestock manure, as well as nitrous oxide emissions linked to fertilizer use.
Farmers have increased their use of nitrogen fertilizer to boost crop yields. However, excess nitrogen can be released as nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that traps nearly 300 times more heat than carbon dioxide, according to the Agricultural Technology Research Institute.
Taiwan’s agricultural sector emitted about 6.5 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2024, accounting for approximately 2.38% of the country’s total emissions. The figure includes emissions from crop production, livestock, forestry, and fisheries, according to the Climate Change Administration.
