Farewell address at the general assembly and board election on November 2, 2021
Looking back three years, I was recommended by former chair Wen-Chi Fei and elected the association’s eighth chair with the support of our members. At the beginning of my term, we established three working groups and their objectives:
- Registration-extension evaluation.
- Safety education.
- International affairs.
With the assistance of our directors and supervisors, the groups began their work actively. Standing Director Chi-Chang Chen led the registration-extension evaluation group with great dedication, following the principles of “user pays” and fairness and transparency. Although there were many challenges and setbacks, the members worked together to overcome them. They ultimately completed the demanding 15-year pesticide registration-extension project, resolving a problem that had troubled our industry for many years. This achievement gives me great satisfaction, and I express my deep gratitude for Mr. Chen’s tireless efforts.
When I took office, the association had a fund of more than NTD 2.77 million. Thanks to the successful progress of the extension project, the balance at the end of my term exceeds NTD 11 million. On October 14, 2021, we received a letter from the Ministry of the Interior approving income-tax exemption for the NTD 11.4 million allocated in the association’s expenditure plan. I hope these funds will make a positive contribution to the pesticide industry under the next chair’s wise leadership and with the cooperation of all members.
Standing Director Fei worked diligently to lead the safety education group. Directors Feng-Chia Hsieh and Li-Ping Fang stepped forward to take responsibility for its activities, enabling the following achievements:
- A film, “A Brief History of Pesticide Development in Taiwan,” to celebrate the association’s 30th anniversary.
- A refreshed association website, planned for the end of 2021, offering farmers and the public substantial, valuable information to foster an accurate understanding of pesticides, reduce unfounded fear and give pesticides a fair assessment.
For the international affairs group, the COVID-19 outbreak at the end of 2019 spread rapidly to many countries in early 2020 and became a continuing global pandemic. This prevented group leader Chih-Yung Tsai from carrying out the planned international work, which is a small regret. I nevertheless thank him for his willingness to serve.
I also sincerely thank Secretary-General Wei-Jen Tsai for his selfless dedication, which kept the association running smoothly. Behind the scenes, Hsiao-Ching Chen, Mei-Ling Liu, Feng-Chuan Li from the finance department and secretary Mei-Ling Su, who joined later, all made positive contributions. Thank you. My gratitude also goes to everyone who has helped or supported the association. There are many people to thank; please forgive any omissions.
Our meeting has been a fortunate connection. Three years have passed in the blink of an eye. Although I am reluctant to leave office, every gathering eventually comes to an end, and we will meet again. Thank you once more for giving me the opportunity to serve and to do something meaningful.
Finally, I wish you good health, happy families, successful businesses, peace and good fortune.
Respectfully, Liang-Rong Chen (Bruce Chen)
November 2, 2021