First shipment of oranges to China leaves for Shanghai

The Council of Agriculture (COA) is helping Taiwan's orange growers export their produce to China in the wake of a glut.

In line with COA's decision, workers from Taipei's agricultural produce company went to Chiayi yesterday to help orange growers pack their fruits. The oranges were shipped across the strait from Kaohsiung Harbor.

A ceremony was held to mark the occasion, with COA Chairman Chen Wu-hsiung, Legislator Wong Chung-chun, and Chiayi County Councilor Wu Si-jung in attendance.

Prices of the locally grown oranges, which are commonly called “Liuding,” have been weak for years because of oversupply.

Chen said the government last year began purchasing Liuding from the local growers and shipping them to China.

A total of 1,200 metric tons of oranges were shipped in 2008, and this year the government aims to purchase 1,870 metric tons.

Current Liuding prices range from NT$7.5 to NT$11 per kilogram, but the government is offering NT$13.5, Chen said.

Wong, from the ruling Kuomintang, said his home county of Chiayi was originally given a purchase quota of only 350 metric tons, but it was subsequently raised to 500. He said the fact that Chiayi was the first to have their oranges shipped to China showed that the COA cared much about his county's agriculture.

But his colleagues from the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party alleged that the COA was giving unfair preferences to Chiayi.

DPP legislators Liu Chien-kuo and Yeh Yi-chin demanded that the government also purchase Liuding from other counties, such as Yunlin and Tainan.

Lai Chun-teng, a representative of Yunlin's fruit growers, said the country's total Liuding production this year amounts to 250,000 metric tons, but 120,000 of them are of poor quality because of damage done by Typhoon Morakot.

Lai said fruit growers hope the government can buy these poor quality oranges at NT$5 per kilogram and turn them into compost.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos Respond to this email