In response to Taiwan's Pathway to Net-Zero Emissions in 2050 policy, Taiwan Sugar Corporation (Taisugar) is actively promoting "Natural Carbon Sink" as one of the 12 key strategies for the net-zero transition. On December 5, 2023, World Soil Day, Taisugar announced its participation in the international soil carbon sink project "Smallholder Farmers Carbon Farming," initiated and executed by the Green Consumers' Foundation and Eco-affinity Inc. The project, which passed the Gold Standard certification review in February 2023, has obtained certification for six UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This marks Taiwan's first international soil carbon sequestration project, officially registered on the Gold Standard website (ID: GS11818).
Taisugar emphasizes that soil carbon sequestration is a crucial pathway to achieve a "natural carbon sink" effect, though foundational data still requires supplementation. Sugarcane is a C4 plant characterized by its highly efficient photosynthesis, and is considered a plant with significant carbon fixation potential due to its rapid growth and high carbon fixation efficiency. This makes it instrumental in mitigating the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and combating climate change. Currently, Taisugar maintains approximately 10,000 hectares of sugarcane cultivation and has fully adopted the voluntary agricultural product verification system for production traceability. Building upon this foundation, the sugarcane plantations employ environmentally friendly cultivation practices and recycling methods, returning organic materials like filter mud and bagasse, by-products of the sugar mill, back to the fields. This not only enhances soil fertility but also significantly contributes to the accumulation of long-term sequestered soil organic carbon (soil carbon sequestration). By proactively including sugarcane in the Smallholder Farmers Carbon Farming project, Taisugar aligns itself with the international 4 Per 1000 initiative, utilizing carbon farming to achieve carbon neutrality and net-zero goals for sugarcane plantations.
The Smallholder Farmers Carbon Farming Project is a micro-scale initiative covering areas of 500 hectares or less. Currently, it has signed up around 300 small farmers, registering approximately 270 hectares of agricultural land. Taisugar and Eco-affinity Inc. have signed a project commissioning and development contract; the initial plan involves the participation of a 2-hectare sugarcane plantation in Liuying Farm, focusing on increasing the proportion of organic fertilizers such as filter mud (FM), a by-product of the company's sugar production. This initiative aims to reduce chemical fertilizer usage by half and stands as the only enterprise enhancing soil carbon sequestration through sugarcane cultivation. After the sugarcane harvest for 2023/2024, the participating field will undergo baseline soil sampling following the methodology recommended by the Gold Standard. The soil samples will undergo testing for soil organic matter and organic carbon at the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture. Following this, the project will monitor and compare variations in soil organic matter throughout the entire sugarcane growth cycle until harvest. This evaluation aims to gauge the potential of sugarcane plantations in the context of "carbon farming" and lay the groundwork by establishing essential data for soil carbon sequestration.
TSC News Contact Person:
Chen Wei-tung
Director, Department of Environmental Protection, TSC
Contact Number: 886-6-337-8701 / 886-928-527-817
Email: a01762@taisugar.com.tw