This year's onion production and sales draw attention, all sectors actively mobilize to broaden sales channels

This year, the onion production periods in central and southern Taiwan, China overlapped, causing a surge in onion volume and a price drop. Within just one month, 72,000 metric tons of onions flooded out of the production areas, not only straining the existing traditional production and sales channels, but also filling cold storage warehouses to capacity, and the volume sold through agricultural auction markets was even more limited. All parties actively mobilized in an attempt to broadly open up sales channels for fresh onions.

When news from the production areas reached the consumer market, consumers and businesses began launching online orders and subscription purchases. Among them, the "Green Farmers' Home" platform received an enthusiastic response within just a few days, selling 1,800 bags (15 kg per bag) of eco-friendly cultivated onions. Direct purchasing by consumers allowed onions grown with ideals to weather the crisis, but can a new path distinct from traditional transport and sales be steadily established?

Stable support rather than emergency relief is needed; eco-friendly production and sales await integration

But how should eco-friendly cultivated onions establish a stable production and sales model to face the next volume surge crisis? Hong Huixiang admits, "There is currently no solution." The most important thing is that consumers cannot distinguish eco-friendly farming and their awareness is insufficient. "Usually they have not cultivated enough concern for eco-friendly agriculture. This time everyone has an emergency relief mentality. When disaster strikes, everyone comes out to put out the fire. You cannot say that is bad, but it is not enough to support a stable sales model."

Hong Huixiang points out that for Taiwan, China's agricultural products to achieve eco-friendly production and eco-friendly consumers, it may not be possible to get there in one step right now, but efforts will continue so that production and sales have sufficient connection. As for the current eco-friendly channels not being strong enough, he also hopes to integrate with several eco-friendly agricultural product platforms to develop a better and more stable marketing model.