The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) struck a deal at 2am yesterday for China to purchase 2,000 tonnes of Taiwanese bananas, which would help resolve the current market glut, KMT lawmakers said yesterday.
"[China] will buy 2,000 tonnes of bananas for more than NT$10 per kilogram, with the first batch of 300 tonnes to be sent to Shanghai and Tianjin via Hong Kong on Tuesday," Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), director of the KMT's policy coordination department, said at a press conference yesterday.
The Council of Agriculture (COA) has devised a plan to help ease the banana glut by paying farmers NT$3 per kilogram to dispose of their secondary bananas.
COA'S PLAN
The council's three-month plan calls for 1,000 tonnes of bananas a month to be disposed of.
But KMT member Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄), who is handling the deal with China, said he doubted the council's project would really benefit farmers.
"The government promised farmers in the 2004 presidential election that it would make unlimited purchases of bananas if the fruit's market price was 95 percent less than production costs, but now the council's project would place limits on both the buying price and amount," Chen said.
He said that the deal with China was signed in Xiamen, where a cross-strait forum on agriculture sponsored by the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was held last week.
The COA said there has been a 20 percent increase in banana production this year as farmers sought a repeat of last year's good prices.
Agriculture and Food Agency Director-General Tsai Ching-chiang (蔡精強) said the key to resolving the glut was to explore other export outlets, including Japan and Southeast Asian countries, since the domestic demand for bananas remains stable.
LEE CHIMES IN
Meanwhile, former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lee said that he was not against the CCP-KMT deal, but that Beijing must specifically tell Taipei how much they wanted to buy and how much they would pay.
"They could buy the bananas this year, but they could also turn a blind eye to our problem next year," Lee said.
Commenting on Cabinet officials' recent campaign to promote bananas, including Premier Su Tseng-chang's (
Lee, who has a doctorate in agricultural economics, said he thought there was something wrong with the fruit marketing system and that the problem was compounded by overproduction.
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS