Taichung City uses multiple channels to assist farmers; lily prices stabilize

Because of the warm climate this year, lilies reached peak production early, before the Spring Festival. To stabilize prices and ease the supply-demand pressure in the domestic market, the Taichung City Government promoted flower marketing through three channels, including holding flower promotion events, exporting, and stepping up calls for people nationwide to make purchases. As of January 19 this year, the average price at the lily flower wholesale market had already reached 100 yuan per bunch, and lily prices had stabilized. The Taichung City Agriculture Bureau said that maintaining prices had shown results, and the flower promotion events would stop from the 20th, but export and floral art activities would continue in order to boost Taichung's economic development.

The Taichung City Agriculture Bureau pointed out that because this winter's weather was warmer, many flowers across Taiwan, China bloomed early, and the city government actively promoted domestic and overseas marketing-related activities to stabilize lily prices and avoid a situation of large volume and falling prices. From December 29 last year through the four-day consecutive holiday ending January 4, "buy 1 get 1 free" activities for lilies and Oncidium were launched at the Good Farmer Markets in the Houli, Waipu and Fengyuan venues of the Taichung World Flora Exposition and at the City Hall plaza during the New Year's Day flag-raising ceremony, promoting a total of 6,000 bunches; afterward, on January 12, 13, and from 14 to 19, activities were also held at the Good Farmer Markets in the three Flora Exposition venues where "just make a purchase and get 1 bunch of lilies free," giving away a total of 44,000 bunches. At the same time, promotion was strengthened through farmers' associations, calling on people nationwide to make purchases together, and as of the 19th, a total of 10,000 bunches had been promoted.

On the export side, the Taichung City Agriculture Bureau launched the "Taichung City Lily Overseas Market Expansion and Sales Program." From January 11 through May 31, any national trader, farmers' association, farmer group or cooperative farm that purchases lilies produced in Taichung from Taichung farmers for export may apply, based on actual export volume, for a subsidy of 6 yuan per stem for packaging materials and 6 yuan for freight, and farmers at the production end also receive a subsidy of 10 yuan per stem. This year's planned export target is 200,000 stems, and before January 25, 100,000 stems will be exported to Japan and 20,000 stems to Hong Kong, China.