The Council of Agriculture (COA) on Monday announced that pork markets nationwide will be closed on Monday next week to save supply for Dragon Boat Festival two weeks later, while Taiwan Sugar Corp (Taisugar) is to provide 3,000 hogs to stabilize the market amid a shortage.
The council said the supply of hogs has been lacking in the first half of the year.
“In the past week, the average price of pork has risen from NT$77 to NT$79 per kilogram,” Department of Animal Industry Deputy Director Wang Chung-shu (王忠恕) said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The lack of pork can be ascribed to heat stress in June and July last year, when hot weather affected the breeding of hogs nationwide, Wang said.
Another factor was the avian flu earlier this year, which prompted greater demand for pork in place of poultry, Wang said.
With the Dragon Boat Festival on May 30, people will be looking to buy pork to make zongzi (粽子), glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, for offerings, he said.
In a bid to ensure supply for the festival, the council is to close the pork market for one day.
“The day off is estimated to keep 1,300 hogs in the supply,” Wang said.
Some hog farmers complained that closing the market was too drastic, but the council said it had no choice but to try to stabilize the market.
Taisugar, the nation’s largest hog-farming entity, was asked to increase its supplies, he said.
“We will supply an additional 3,000 hogs this month,” Taisugar deputy chief executive officer of animal raising and processing Wu Zhao-hong (吳昭宏) said.
“The price of pork is expected to stablize after the Dragon Boat Festival,” Wang said.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
RSS