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COA promises imminent cut in price of vegetables

Chinese Nationalist Party Legislator Yang Chiung-ying offers a tray of vegetables to Council of Agriculture Chairman Su Jia-chyuan, center, during a question-and-answer session at the legislature yesterday. Su is joined by Premier Chang Chun-hsiung. PHOTO: CNA

Council of Agriculture (COA) Chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) promised yesterday to help lower average vegetable prices to less than NT$50 within a week.

Asked for comment on his way to the legislature, Su vowed to release more vegetables from storage onto the market to ease the recent hike in vegetable prices.

Su also defended himself against criticism over a comment he made during a question-and-answer session at the legislature's Economics and Energy Committee on Monday.

During the session, Su was asked by legislators across party lines whether the council had failed to prevent vegetable prices from skyrocketing after Typhoon Krosa hit the nation earlier this month.

Su said that although some vegetable prices were as low as NT$5 per bunch, people tended to purchase more expensive ones. Su said he wondered why people did not go for the cheaper vegetables.

Su said yesterday that his comment was merely a "metaphor" and that he was emphasizing the fact that people had a variety of choices.

"The price of vegetables has stopped climbing, but prices have not gone down as soon as we expected," Su said in response to a question by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Chin-hsing (林進興).

"The COA has released 200 tonnes to 300 tonnes of stock vegetables onto the market each day because not enough time had elapsed since the typhoon hit to grow new vegetables," Su said.

"I was trying to suggest that when choosing between vegetables that cost NT$5 and those costing NT$200, consumers should choose the cheaper ones," he said.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), however, remained upset at Su's comment, calling him an "enemy of vegetable farmers."

At a press conference, KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said Su's comments showed that the government preoccupation with its proposed referendum on seeking UN membership under the name "Taiwan" has led it to neglect the needs of ordinary people.

Putting various vegetables on display, KMT caucus whip Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) said farmers sold them for NT$133 per kilogram, but made very little profit.

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) urged the population to accept higher vegetable prices for the moment, adding that newly harvested vegetables would enter the market early next month.
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