Nantou County Magistrate Lin Ming-chen cares about the large tangerine harvest going unsold, urges enthusiastic purchasing

Nantou County Magistrate Lin Ming-chen, accompanied by Lin Mei-chu, deputy director of the county government's Agriculture Department, visited the Zhongliao Township Farmers' Association and the production area on the 29th to show concern over the tangerine purchasing situation. Because of the good weather last year, tangerines were produced in abundance, causing prices to be too low and the fruit to go unsold. Magistrate Lin Ming-chen, sympathizing with the farmers' hard work, urgently purchased 16 metric tons to donate to social welfare institutions, and also urged citizens and businesses to buy enthusiastically, as they are suitable both as gifts and for personal use, supporting farmers through action.

Magistrate Lin Ming-chen said that Zhongliao's tangerines are of good quality and sufficiently sweet, making them the best choice for Lunar New Year gifts. In addition to instructing the Agriculture Department to urgently handle the purchase of 16 metric tons for distribution to disadvantaged groups, social welfare institutions and colleagues at affiliated agencies, he also mobilized the county government and various agencies to place group orders to help fruit farmers promote tangerines, and hoped everyone would purchase enthusiastically.

Accompanied by Chen Ko-tsai, chairman of the farmers' association, and Lin Yu-tang, the association's general manager, Magistrate Lin Ming-chen also made a special trip to a tangerine orchard in Hexing Village to show concern, understand the farmers' harvesting situation, and listen to the farmers' views and conditions in the production area.

Chen Ko-tsai, chairman of the Zhongliao Township Farmers' Association, pointed out that this year's abundant harvest caused many wholesalers to forfeit their deposits and fail to purchase from fruit farmers as agreed, leaving Zhongliao Township fruit farmers' tangerines unsold and unharvestable. They turned to the farmers' association for help in succession. After registering the fruit farmers and calculating the quantity of tangerines for which sales assistance was requested, and excluding the substandard fruit already arranged for purchase by juice manufacturers, 200 metric tons still urgently needed marketing.

The Nantou County Government hopes this purchase will draw attention from all sectors and encourage everyone to join in, forming groups to place orders with the Zhongliao Township Farmers' Association, helping Zhongliao Township fruit farmers relieve the pressure of unsold produce.