Taipei, Dec. 29 (CNA) Non-genetically modified crops such as soybeans and corn grown on government-subsidized fallow land have been gaining popularity as local consumers become increasingly aware of food safety issues.

The Council of Agriculture (COA) has implemented a "fallow land revitalization program" since 2013 that encourages farmers to grow non-GM grains and crops on farmland due for planting after a period of lying fallow.

The total value of crops grown under the program reached NT$17.8 billion (US$542.6 million) in 2013, far exceeding the amount -- NT$4 billion -- used to subsidize fallow land farmers, according to the COA's Agriculture and Food Agency.

The yearly output grew to NT$18.4 billion in 2014, and the 2015 figure is still being calculated, the agency said.

Part of the reason why non-GM crops have become popular on the Taiwan market is that most of their imported counterparts are genetically modified, it noted.