Page 45 - An Overview of Penghu

Industry

Besides aquaculture production, there are no other resources to develop standardized
industries in Penghu, which is quite lamentable. The peanut oil industry here boasts a long
history and uses peanuts, one of the important crops of the Prefecture, as material. Peanuts
grown in Penghu are mainly used for tobacco production at the Monopoly Bureau. Oil cakes, a
byproduct of the process, are major export goods and were all exported to mainland China.
However, the Prefecture is currently storing them due to a halt in trade between China and
Japan, striving to find other uses for the material.

Thanks to the installation of revamped oil tanks, the quality of peanut oil is gradually
improving. The prefectural government also drafted funds to encourage people to improve oil
tanks, which in turn raises the price of peanut oil and the number of peanut oil manufacturers. In
contrast, oil extraction techniques adopted by manufacturers remain relatively primitive,
hampering them from reaping more benefits, so there is indeed room for improvement. The
government plans to encourage people to purchase modern machinery through subsidies.
However, most products are still handled by the Penghu Credit Union. Peanut oil production in
1930 was 227,568 kg, generating revenue of 63,000 Taiwanese yen. Oil cakes production in the
same year was 357,945 kg, creating revenue worth 13,000 Taiwanese yen.

The fish processing industry has not yet been fully developed and remains a supplement to
other main industries. However, seeing its future potential, the government spares no effort to
provide equipment and funds for its development. Products from the industry include red sea
bream floss, katsuobushi (bonito flakes), processed red sea breams, red sea bream miso, and fish
cakes. The revenue generated by Penghu's industry in 1930 reached 155,000 Taiwanese yen,
including processed goods. Snacks production earned 67,000 Taiwanese yen, noodles 45,000
Taiwanese yen, wood products 17,000 Taiwanese yen, and tiles 5,200 Taiwanese yen.

Mining
Aragonite is a specialty of Penghu. However, it has become more difficult to mine the
mineral recently. As its production drops, the price of aragonite skyrockets. On the other hand,
coral stones are treated as construction materials and used to build windbreak fences. Coral
stones shattered by waves are widely used for various purposes, such as paving roads or creating
lime. Each year, the Island can produce 661.16 m3 of coral stone, bringing in revenue of 1,000
Taiwanese yen.

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