Thousands of people flocked yesterday to Taipei’s former Songshan Tobacco Plant to take advantage of low-cost agricultural products offered at the Council of Agriculture’s (COA) “Made in Taiwan is Best — Come and Buy Our Agricultural Goods” fair, which ends today.
In its second and final weekend, the fair was the Executive Yuan’s second wave of weekend promotions for domestically produced goods, Government Information Office Minister Vanessa Shih (史亞平) said last week, adding that the categories of products to be promoted next weekend would soon be announced.
Differing from the fair last week, where mostly fruits, vegetables and flowers were offered, this weekend’s fair focused on meats and seafood, the council said.
Among the most popular products was farmed sea bass, which was sold in cases of five for NT$350. During promotional hours, the cases went for NT$200, attracting large numbers of customers.
“The fish is so cheap. It’s about 40 percent lower than market price,” said 35-year-old Wang Ching-yun (王靖雲), adding that she stood in line for almost 30 minutes to buy a case.
“I wanted to buy the fish for my mother because it’s good for old people to eat sea bass, it is very nutritious,” Wang said.
Sea bass contains large quantities of nutrients, including easily digestible proteins and fats, as well as vitamin B2, calcium, potassium and iron, Aquaculture Development Association CEO Huang Che-yuan (黃徹源) said.
In earlier times, sea bass was considered an expensive delicacy and was traditionally consumed after a woman gave birth, or following major surgery, he said.
“Taiwan’s farm technology for sea bass is very mature now. We have an annual production rate of about 8,000 tonnes, so they can be sold at very reasonable prices,” Huang said.
Sea bass is in season right now and visitors at the fair can get a free bowl of fish soup to experience the taste for themselves, Huang said.
Other promotional deals include chickens weighing as much as 3kg, also sold for NT$200, the council said, adding that cuttlefish balls, sausage and rice wine were also on sale.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit the UK during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said today. Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended in May last year. Her office issued a statement today saying that Tsai would also visit the UK "for a few days," during which she is to meet with UK politicians and Taiwanese professionals, and visit academic and research institutions. Following Tsai's stop in Denmark, she is to visit the
RSS