Chen worked for the Sino-American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction , a predecessor organization to the Council of Agriculture , upon his return to Taiwan . In 2000 , he took office as head of the Minister of Agriculture . In this position , Chen was responsible for long-term disaster relief efforts resulting from the 1999 Jiji earthquake . He organized a disaster prevention center after a June 2000 aftershock , and worked to stop mudflows from causing further damage . Chen also ordered a six-year initiative to reduce the number of betel nut plantations in order to lessen the effects of soil erosion caused by betel nut trees . During his tenure as COA leader , Chen supported the work of rural credit cooperatives geared toward farmers and fishermen , and sought to lift restrictions on Chinese employees of Taiwanese fishermen . After Typhoon Toraji hit Taiwan in July 2001 , Nantou County legislator Tsai Huang-liang stated that Chen 's policies unfairly burdened betel nut producers , making them scapegoats for erosion . Chen recognized that Nantou County should be reforested to prevent future typhoon damage , but rejected a proposal to use helicopters , stating that there were more effective ways to seed the mountainous area . It was reported that Chen would step down from the COA in January 2002 , and he was eventually succeeded by Fan Chen-tsung
1999 Jiji earthquake
1999 Jiji earthquake
Chen Hsi-huang