[Politics] Pineapple-Soursop Production and Sales Controversy: Taitung's Blue-Green Legislators Speak Out Again
bellala 央廣6h ago
The issue of pineapple-soursop production and sales in Taitung continued to ferment today (20th). Legislator Huang Jian-bin stated that the government should help farmers find markets, not label them; Legislator Chen Ying believes the problem is related to China's 29% tariff and the increase in China's planting area and technology.
KMT Legislator Huang Jian-bin held a press conference today accompanied by Taitung County Speaker Wu Xiu-hua, Donghe Township Representative Chen Ji-wei, former Young Farmers Association President Zhang Sheng-yao, and several local young farmers.
Young farmer representative and Donghe Township Representative Chen Ji-wei said that grassroots farmers don't care who they sell their fruit to. In the past five years, facing the Chinese market, farmers have worked hard to transform, and all sectors have actively marketed. A casual remark from the central government negates everyone's efforts.
Former Young Farmers Association President Zhang Sheng-yao said that the central government emphasizes that pineapple-soursop is a representative Taiwanese fruit, and many Japanese and Korean tourists specifically look for soursop when visiting Taiwan. The central government does not help overcome platform and channel difficulties, but instead uses political language to stigmatize the industry, which is disheartening.
Wu Xiu-hua also emphasized that over 95% of pineapple-soursop exports to mainland China are due to quarantine breakthroughs not being achieved with other countries. Currently, sales to China remain the main focus. The government's responsibility is to help find channels, not to make farmers bear political consequences.
Huang Jian-bin stated that Liang Wen-jie, Deputy Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, recently said, "Pineapple-soursop is an agricultural product that Taiwanese people hardly eat and completely depends on the CCP's whims." Such a statement harms Taitung farmers. The government should help farmers find markets, not label them.
He said that wherever the market is, efforts should be made to sell the products. If the government believes the Chinese market is too risky, it should propose concrete alternative solutions instead of making sarcastic remarks from Taipei. In recent years, the Taitung County Government has actively expanded markets in Hong Kong, Japan, and other places. The central government should further assist farmers in diversifying risks, rather than negating existing markets.
He emphasized that farmers already work hard enough relying on nature and should not suffer further harm from political rhetoric. The government's responsibility is to help farmers find markets, not to label them; farmers need orders, not labels; they need outlets, not slogans.
DPP Legislator Chen Ying emphasized that the real challenge facing Taitung's pineapple-soursop is that China still imposes a high tariff of 29% (20% tariff plus 9% value-added tax) on Taiwanese pineapple-soursop. At the same time, China has been continuously expanding its planting area and improving its cultivation technology in recent years. As the quality and yield of its self-produced pineapple-soursop gradually stabilize, and Taiwanese farmers still face high tariff barriers, the future competitive pressure is bound to increase.
Regarding Liang Wen-jie's recent remarks about the pineapple-soursop industry and the recent controversy, Chen Ying stated that it has indeed made some farmers feel hurt and wronged. All sectors of society should show more understanding and empathy towards the farmers' situation. However, she also believes that Liang Wen-jie's original intention was to remind them of the risks of Taiwanese agricultural products being overly dependent on a single market.
Chen Ying stated that the agricultural policy she proposed earlier aims to fundamentally solve the difficulties faced by the industry. Farmers truly need orders, not rhetoric; they need stable income, not political performances. Taitung's agriculture should not be tied to any single market but should have the ability to move towards more markets and create higher value. (Editor: Liu Xiang-hua)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=215658
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