Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Li-shan (張麗善) yesterday called on the Council of Agriculture to ensure purchases of the county’s peanuts, after the crop’s plummeting price became a political issue among local legislative candidates.
To protect farmers’ rights, the central government should increase tariffs on imported peanuts, and ensure that the production and sale of local peanuts are balanced, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member said when visiting farmers in Shueilin Township (水林).
The county government is to ask the council to extend the period of purchasing peanuts at guaranteed prices, she said.
Photo: Lin Kuo-hsien, Taipei Times
In early November last year, the price of peanuts in Yunlin rose to NT$48 (US$1.59) per 600 grams due to a smaller harvest after heavy rain, but it dropped to about NT$35 per 600g after rumors spread online that the council would allow imports of cheaper peanuts this year.
On Nov. 20, the council asked local farmers’ associations to help purchase peanuts at a guaranteed price of NT$40 per 600g, or NT$67 per kilogram, to stabilize prices, saying that the measure would last until Dec. 20.
Many farmers have complained that peanuts harvested at later dates have not yet been purchased, Yunlin County Councilor Huang Wen-hsiang (黃文祥), an independent who used to be Chang’s aide, said.
Nearly 300 tonnes of peanuts grown by 200 farmers across the county have not yet been purchased, Yunlin County Agriculture Department Director-General Wei Sheng-te (魏勝德) said.
Less than 10 percent of the county’s peanuts have not yet been harvested, Agriculture and Food Agency Deputy Director-General Su Mao-shiang (蘇茂祥) said, adding that the agency expects to finish buying peanuts in two weeks.
As of Tuesday, the agency has purchased more than 4,900 tonnes of peanuts at the guaranteed price, the agency said in a press release yesterday.
The agency has paid NT$290 million in loans to peanut farmers and would request that farmers’ groups pay loans to farmers who file applications at later dates, it said.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS