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.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS