Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) announced that he will be stepping down on Tuesday, having only served the newly elevated Agriculture Ministry for only 50 days.
Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) attended an agricultural awards ceremony on Wednesday, his last formal event as the Agriculture Minister.
Chen announced his resignation in a Facebook post Tuesday evening. Chen has been in the spotlight in recent days due to controversies regarding the ministry’s program to import eggs to address a domestic shortage earlier this year. Questions about the program arose when it was discovered that out of the 145 million eggs imported, 54 million had to be destroyed as they were expired. The destroyed eggs were valued at over NT$200 million (US$6.25 million), sparking criticisms over the financial waste and concerns that expired eggs may have entered the local market.
Chen, who accepted media questions before the awards ceremony, said that he did not take the time to properly address the smear campaigns against him. He has always held the position that so long as one acts with professionalism and puts in serious effort, then the country can move forward and achieve substantial results. He believes that his departure will reduce the personal attacks and allow the Agriculture Ministry to work better.
The Cabinet accepted Chen’s resignation which will take effect this Thursday. Chen previously served as the Minister of the Council of Agriculture since 2019.