New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu Encourages Citizens to Buy Vegetables and Support Farmers Through Action

New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu went to the Banqiao Farmers' Association yesterday (the 6th) to promote fruits and vegetables, helping farmers deal with the situation of increased volume, falling prices and unsold produce after the market closure. Mayor Eric Chu encouraged the public to buy fruits and vegetables and support farmers through action.

Mayor Eric Chu pointed out that because the auction market had been closed for 3 consecutive days, prices at the production areas were sluggish. To avoid low vegetable prices hurting farmers, the city government had expanded purchases at the production areas and stimulated consumption through various direct-purchase and direct-sales methods. Originally, 188 metric tons were expected to be sold over these 2 days, but due to the enthusiastic response from the public, more than 200 metric tons of fresh fruits and vegetables could be sold. He hoped citizens would support farmers more, as they could not only buy affordable fruits and vegetables, but also give farmers immediate assistance.

Early in the morning, many people lined up at the Banqiao Farmers' Association to make purchases and support farmers through practical action. Mayor Eric Chu also bought several boxes of fruits and vegetables to support farmers. Mrs. Chen, who came to buy, said that she had seen news reports that the 3-day market closure had caused farmers heavy losses, and that the direct-from-production-area cabbage was crisp, fresh and cheap, so it was worth buying several heads. The site also had napa cabbage, white radish, hydroponic vegetables, and seasonal fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and tankan oranges, all freshly picked and delivered directly from the production areas, with excellent quality and affordable prices, attracting crowds to snap them up.