The Diffusion of Taiwan's Ponlai Rice

This study compares the production technology and profitability of ponlai (rice) and chailai (rice), and explores the factors that made ponlai quicky expand displacing chailai. We find that the production technology of the two rice varieties were not the same. Firstly, the scale of return of ponlai was smaller than that of chailai. Secondly, the amount of inputs used per chia of land in ponlai production were more than that of chailai, especially the amount of fertilizers. Thirdly, this fertilizer intensive technology was diffused to the production of chailai by the 1930s. As for output and profit, we also have several findings. (1) Although greater factor inputs enabled a greated ponlai harvest per chia of land, the harvest was smaller per yen of factor inputs. (2) However, the much higher. (3)while the advantage in price was maintained, ponlai's disadvantage in production cost disappeared gradually in the 1930s. (4) In addition, the risk of ponlai production was not higher, and it's production efficiency was not lower than those of chailai. All these factors made ponlai become the widespread variety of rice in Taiwan.