Yunlin County orange growers canceled a plan yesterday to stage a protest in Taipei to highlight record low orange prices after learning that the government would help them ride out their difficulties.
Hsu Ken-wei (許根尉), head of the Democratic Progressive Party旧 (DPP) Yunlin chapter, announced the decision along with Lin Huei-ju (林慧如), Gukeng Township (古坑) administrator.
Hsu and Lin called for the protest on Dec. 27 during talks between DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and orange growers in the township.
PHOTO: YANG KUO-TANG, TAIPEI TIMES
During the meeting, the farmers complained of low prices because of a glut on the domestic market and stagnant sales, and said the government was reluctant to assist them.
The farmers said they called for help from the Council of Agriculture (COA) more than a month ago, suggesting that the agency subsidize orange farmers who leave their land fallow or eliminate substandard fruit, cut prices for fertilizer and purchase fruit for the production of organic fertilizer.
The COA, however, showed no sign that it would answer the call until Wednesday, Hsu said.
The COA has promised to cut fertilizer prices, and from this year increase its annual subsidy from NT$120,000 (US$3,650) to NT$150,000 for each hectare of farmland left uncultivated. In addition, Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) announced on Thursday that both the COA and the county government would expand existing subsidies for sourcing fruit for conversion to organic fertilizer.
The goodwill response soothed the angry farmers, Hsu said, but added that they would continue urging the COA to increase the annual subsidy for fallow land to NT$200,000 per hectare.
Lin pointed out that although the farmers� pressing problem had been resolved, they were still very concerned about the direction of the government旧 future agricultural policy.
Prices of locally grown oranges have recently declined to below the production cost of about NT$10 per kilogram. Yunlin is one of the country旧 leading areas for orange cultivation and has over 3,400 orange orchards with an overall output of around 200,000 tonnes per year.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS