Fake banana news goes viral, making banana prices even worse; Council of Agriculture slams it and threatens to sue
Recently, a photo of a truckload of bananas dumped on the ground went viral online, captioned: "The banana dumping scene in Qishan and Meinong, Kaohsiung, the news dares not report it; everything is under a news blackout." In response, Chen Chi-chung, deputy head of the Council of Agriculture, held an emergency press conference on the 7th to clarify that this is fake news: the photo was taken eleven years ago by Public Television Service's "Our Island," not this year's situation. He stressed that this has already affected banana prices and farmers' income, and that further legal action will be taken.
Chen said there is currently no such banana dumping situation locally; this is fake news spread by people with ulterior motives, and the spread of fake news may affect prices at banana production areas, creating a negative impact on the trading market and offsetting the Council of Agriculture's efforts to pull banana prices back up, which is why he is explaining it here specifically.
The "Kuomintang @ Nantou County Party Headquarters" and the "Wenqing Work Association" also posted this false photo on Facebook. In response, Chen Chi-chung angrily criticized the party-related units for spreading false rumors in this way and damaging banana prices: "Shouldn't you apologize to the banana farmers?" If they are unwilling to apologize, the matter will be handled in accordance with relevant regulations.
