The reason was that Taiwan was expected to produce large quantities of cane sugar (which could be used to produce ethanol, an important strategic commodity), and only by depressing the price of rice in Taiwan could the farmers be induced to go over to growing sugar cane.
原因是台灣必須生產足夠的蔗糖供應日本母國使用。況且甘蔗可以製造酒精，是重要戰略物資，不抑制台灣的米價，無法讓農民改種甘蔗。