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Ma stole credit for policy to subsidize orange sales: TSU

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) lawmakers yesterday accused Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of wrongly taking credit for a policy that aims to help the country's orange farmers.

According to Deputy Minister Lee Jen-chyuan (李健全) of the Council of Agriculture (COA), orange production last year was 10 percent higher than the previous three years.

High production has caused a decrease in the market price.

Lee, invited by the TSU caucus for a report on the matter yesterday, said: "We subsidize exporters if they purchase oranges from farmers at prices higher than NT$12 per kilogram."

Lee said his council had launched a program to encourage export last month.

In the program, exporters can apply for a subsidy of NT$2.5 per kilogram if they purchased oranges from farmers at a price higher than NT$12.

"But farmers now believe it's the KMT and China who are helping them," TSU Legislator Yin Ling-ying (尹伶瑛) said, referring to a recent statement by Ma.

On a visit to Yunlin County last Thursday, Ma promised local orange farmers to help out by purchasing 1,200 tonnes of oranges to export to China.

"Ma made his statement on Jan. 11, but our plan was launched on Dec. 12," Lee said.

"Our policy was not made for any particular political party or any particular politician," he said, "and China is only one of the export destinations."

The policy to encourage export of excess fruit has been in place since 2003, and Japan is the major importer.

"If this is the case, Ma is falsely taking credit for it," TSU Legislator Tseng Tsahn-deng (曾燦燈) said.

"You [the COA] should let the farmers know that it is not only one particular political party that cares about them," he added.

At the request of the TSU, the COA agreed to visit Yunlin County to explain the policy to local farmers.
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