IC3T.ORG - It was a mere two days for the benchmarking entourage to make the rounds in the southern part of Taiwan. Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi were all being chosen as the vantage points for them to learn about Taiwan's agriculture. Xiluo Farmers' Association, Chiayi organic fresh produce market, to Horticultural Technology Center of NCYU were all being listed as their destination. 13 people from the different backgrounds, -farmers, exporters and governments, were ready to hit the road. IC3T team was tagged along with them. 

On March 18, 2011, a day before AISC-Taiwan 2011 (The Second Annual Indonesian Scholars Conference in Taiwan; AISC-Taiwan 2011), Dr. Anton Apriyantono, the former Minister of Agriculture of Indonesia, who arrived in Taiwan earlier headed to Chiayi to meet one of the most respectful faculties in NCYU (National Chia Yi University), Dr. Maurice S. B. Ku. At 11.30, the van took Dr. Anton’s entourage from Taichung to Chiayi. After two hours, the entourage arrived at Agricultural Biotechnology Department, NCYU.

Taichung County-IC3T.ORG. Untuk kedua kalinya, ilmuwan Indonesia kembali berkumpul di Taiwan dalam sebuah event tahunan yang bertajuk The Second Annual Indonesian Scholars Conference in Taiwan (AISC-Taiwan 2011). Pertemuan ilmiah dalam rangka presentasi hasil penelitian ilmuwan-ilmuwan muda Indonesia ini mengangkat tema : Becoming “Asian Tiger" through modern agriculture-based Industry : revitalization and modernization of education, technology, economy, and investment climate in agricultural sector. Acara inti AISC-Taiwan 2011 yang berupa conference berlangsung pada tanggal 19 Maret 2011 di Asia University. Selain itu, pada tanggal 20 Maret 2011 juga diselenggarakan field trip ke Sun Moon Lake dan Fengchia Night Market untuk refreshment bagi peserta yang hari sebelumnya telah memresentasikan papernya di depan partisipan lain. Rangkaian acara terakhir, yaitu benchmarking PEMDA-PEMDA Indonesia akan dilangsungkan pada bulan April mendatang.

Siluo - IC3T.ORG Siluo? Where is it ? Many people would ask that question after reading the title. Siluo is located at the northern tip of Yunlin County bordered by Changhua County’s Jhuoshuei River on its northern part. Besides soy sauce, rice and bean curd sheets, there is another thing Siluo is well-known for : fruits and vegetables. According to the statistics, approximately 60% of Taiwan’s fruits and vegetables are grown there, on more than 1,200 hectares of land assisted by the local farmers’ association. Being dominated by the farmland, this township harvests abundant of fruits and vegetables. No wonder Siluo has the biggest wholesale market in Taiwan to sell its farmers’ fresh produces. Referring to these facts, IC3T committee has decided to opt for Siluo Wholesale Market and Siluo Farmers’ Association as two out of five places that will be visited on AISC-Taiwan 2011’s Benchmarking Program.