(Photo: CNA)
Not yet 40 years of age, Hakka farmer Wei Jui-ting from university to master’s degree class always had the background of ecological agriculture. After returning home to take over the rice fields cultivated by his family for three generations, he initially sought to promote his family’s rice by setting up stalls in Taipei markets at weekends, but sales were disappointing.
In 2014 he began to run his own brand, selling small volumes on Facebook. To emphasize organic cultivation, Wei uploaded his entire growing process. This not only built word of mouth but happened to bring him to the attention of OwlTing Group founder Darren Wang (王俊凱).
Production history is one of OwlTing’s successful blockchain applications. The concept is to upload information about the cultivation environment to the blockchain, where it cannot be tampered with. When a consumer scans the QR code label attached to the product, they can be clear about the rice’s production history. When food security issues arise, this can also serve as a basis for verification.
OwlTing’s production history labels are according to the production status recorded on the chain. Labels are issued in relative quantities -- farmers cannot print them by themselves -- and each Code has a set of serial numbers so as to avoid cases of repackaging. The Code just needs to be scanned and a notification is immediately sent to the farmer’s phone. If the Code is scanned multiple times, or if the scan location is abnormal, engineers can also send a warning signifying suspicion of counterfeiting.
Blockchain’s value also lies in there being no space to tamper with information. Food production history in the chain can engender a sense of trust and strengthen the value of a product, in the way a letter of credit reassures the buyer. Wei Jui-ting believes blockchain production history is also a type of user pay concept -- where the consumer wants more details about a product and identifies with the brand concept, they naturally will be willing to pay money for it.
At the start of 2019, Wei spent over NT$100,000 to attain Halal Certification and also passed US FDA approval, making Chishang rice available to the public in Dubai, Oman and Hong Kong. In summer 2019 Wei’s organic rice was sent directly from Taiwan to Casa Santa Marta, the residence of the Pope. In September it was listed on online retailer Amazon and scored a hit among Asian-Americans in California. Given that the world has so many places that produce rice, why should famous people, famous e-commerce platforms and Middle Eastern countries all give their approval to Wei Jui-ting’s rice? Blockchain is a key password that needs no translation, because consumers trust the mechanism behind it that vouches for product quality.
(Photo: CNA)
After adjustments to the process, now when consumers scan the production history QR Code they can see the producer’s name, place of origin, product introduction and batch information. If even more details are required, one can also see the changes in sunlight during the time the rice was grown, the environmental temperature as well as land preparation, fertilizer use, harvesting, grinding and bagging times. When the information is added to the chain it is translated into English at the same time so there’s no problem selling it overseas.
Wei Jui-ting believes the advantage of blockchain is to allow every farmer to more easily highlight the features of their produce -- Wei’s rice emphasizes organic ecology, so he has installed infrared cameras to record animal footprints. If one is specifically targeting Halal food certification or FDA certification for overseas markets, this information can be especially emphasized. It’s the same rice, but the segmentation permitted by production history can open up new markets.
Blockchain has brought Chishang rice grower Wei Jui-ting into contact with overseas markets. He says the biggest reward has been to access many overseas channels and customers from different backgrounds, to let more people know about the organic rice from Taitung’s Hakka settlement.