The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged the government to review state-funded fruit exporter Mitagri Co, saying that it has no strategy to help domestic farmers amid a Chinese ban on pineapple imports from Taiwan.
The Chinese government on Friday last week announced that the imports would be suspended from Monday, citing the detection of pests on Taiwanese pineapples on multiple occasions last year and this year.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee director-general Alicia Wang (王育敏) told a news conference in Taipei that Mitagri, which exports pineapples, has not told the public how it would help domestic farmers sell their fruit in countries other than China.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Then-premier Lin Chuan (林全) in 2016 at a news conference announced the foundation of the firm, Wang said.
Mitagri was established under the guidance of the Council of Agriculture on Dec. 5, 2016, and it was described as the “national agricultural marketing team,” in a statement released by the council.
However, in response to questions about Mitagri’s operations, the council in 2019 said that the firm was funded by a group of private companies and foundations.
Taiwanese were told that Mitagri would mainly import and export agricultural products and technology, facilitate overseas investment, and help Taiwanese farmers sell their fruit in emerging markets, such as Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Wang said.
However, the company has been performing poorly and has not helped Taiwanese growers expand to international markets, she said.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumed office, Taiwan’s agricultural exports have relied heavily on the Chinese market, the KMT said in a statement, citing council data.
The percentage of Taiwanese pineapples shipped to China has increased over the past five years, while shipments to Japan have dropped, the KMT said.
Mitagri posts losses and performs poorly, Wang said.
“Why does such a company continue to exist?” she asked.
The KMT said that the company had lost NT$78 million (US$2.76 million) since it was founded.
“As Taiwanese have been very enthusiastic to buy pineapples, this crisis should pass,” Wang said.
However, the government should not rely on the public to solve such crises, and the distribution of the nation’s agricultural products should be reviewed, she said.
The government has the responsibility to establish a stable, long-term channel for farmers to sell their products, she said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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