Beinong Taipei Fruit and Vegetable Market closed for 6 days within 12 days, causing fruits and vegetables to ripen on the plants, pile up, and prices to fall; farmers are heartbroken.

General News Jan 1, 1970 0 views

Beinong Taipei Fruit and Vegetable Market closed for 6 days within 12 days! Fruits and vegetables ripened on the plants and piled up badly, supply surged and prices fell, farmers are heartbroken.

(For follow-up developments, see: Taipei Fruit and Vegetable Market closed too long, discontent spreads among farmers' associations across the country, COA "cannot accept" the Taipei City Government.)

This year's Spring Festival was only a short five days, but just three days after the holiday ended, starting from February 24, the Taipei fruit and vegetable auction market closed again for three consecutive days. On the first auction day after the closure (February 27), the total number of arriving lots reached more than 150,000, hitting a historic high, and total trading volume also surged to 2,108 metric tons! The flood of agricultural products caused auction prices to plummet, dealing a severe blow to production areas. Especially for crops harvested continuously, without storage facilities, they could only be left on the plants to age, creating the ironic alternative scene of "ripening on the plant."

What is even more worrying is still to come, because once the Lantern Festival arrives, the Taipei fruit and vegetable auction market will close again for three consecutive days. This means that within the twelve days from February 24 to March 7, Taiwan's largest fruit and vegetable distribution hub will be closed for a total of six days. Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corporation General Manager Wu Yin-ning said that this year's closure days were decided last year at a meeting held by the Taipei City Government. At that time, she delegated the business department manager to attend the meeting on behalf of the agricultural products company and expressed opposition to consecutive closures, but the meeting still concluded with a decision to close for three days. However, she did not realize at the time that the situation would become so serious. Wu Yin-ning stressed: "What we can do now is do our utmost to promote and sell!"

Farmers' association staff said, "People can take holidays and rest, but crops grow every day. Once snap beans enter the harvest period, they must be harvested every day. The people making these decisions do not understand, thinking one day makes no difference, but really even one day makes a huge difference!"

Once the harvest season begins, Zhong Song-huan's wife soaks in the garden every day; the plants are covered with snap beans waiting to be harvested (photo / Li Hui-yi).

Beinong mini-glossary:

Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Beinong), established in October of ROC year 63, currently has the "First Wholesale Market" and the "Second Wholesale Market" under its jurisdiction, collectively known as the "Taipei Fruit and Vegetable Auction Market." It is the largest auction market in Taiwan, supplying fruits and vegetables daily to more than seven million people in greater Taipei and surrounding counties and cities.

Beinong's total capital is 200 million yuan. It is a privately operated public utility with a board of directors that can operate independently. Private shares (farmers' associations at all levels) account for 54.48%, and public shares account for 45.52%. Among these, the Taipei City Government, the COA, and farmers' associations at all levels hold 22.76%, 22.76%, and 24.79% respectively, which can be described as a "three-way division of power."

Because the COA and the Taipei City Government hold the same proportion of official shares, the past convention has been that the Beinong chairperson is mostly appointed by the city government, while the general manager is appointed by the COA. In addition, because Beinong is Taiwan's largest distribution hub for fruit and vegetable throughput, greatly affecting people's daily lives, the operation of the Beinong company always feels strongly political.

Extended report: Taipei Fruit and Vegetable Market closed too long, discontent spreads among farmers' associations across the country, COA "cannot accept" the Taipei City Government.

Beinong Taipei Fruit and Vegetable Market closed for 6 days within 12 days, causing fruits and vegetables to ripen on the plants, pile up, and prices to fall; farmers are heartbroken.

Extended report: Taipei Fruit and Vegetable Market closed too long, discontent spreads among farmers' associations across the country, COA "cannot accept" the Taipei City Government.

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