Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung: purchase price for secondary-grade pineapples is 8 yuan per kilogram

Affected by the warm winter and little rain, the price of pineapples in Chiayi County has not been good. Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung went south on March 18 to hold talks with farmers and directed that starting the afternoon of the 18th, the guaranteed purchase price for secondary-grade fruit be 8 yuan per kilogram (4.8 yuan per Taiwanese catty). The fruit farmers applauded. Minister Chen Chi-chung said that by increasing export volume and sending secondary-grade fruit to processing plants to prevent it from entering the market, and with a multi-pronged approach, he guaranteed that the pineapple price would definitely stabilize before the end of March.

This year, affected by climate factors and early harvesting, the pineapples harvested early in Chiayi County after February were slightly more acidic, which affected the purchase price. In late February, the county government had already paid attention to the early harvesting of pineapples and maintained close contact with the central government. In addition to continuously monitoring the production and marketing market, on February 25 it also cooperated with the processing policy of the Agriculture and Food Agency and launched pineapple processing measures, with processing plants scheduling nearly 1,000 metric tons to be handled.

To avoid secondary-grade products dragging down market prices, County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang and Legislator Chen Ming-wen invited Minister Chen Chi-chung to make a special trip south to the Shanglin Fruit and Vegetable Production Cooperative in Dalin Township to hold talks with farmers. Huang Chen-yu, director-general of the Chiayi County Farmers' Association, and several directors-general of township and town farmers' associations were also present to show concern for the Council of Agriculture's production and marketing adjustment measures.

At the forum, Minister Chen Chi-chung announced that starting the afternoon of the 18th, the purchase price for secondary-grade products would be 8 yuan per kilogram. With a multi-pronged approach, he guaranteed that the price would definitely stabilize before the end of March. Legislator Chen Ming-wen also said that he believed that as long as secondary-grade products did not enter the market and affect the price of the entire market, and with export volume being pushed up and the purchase price for secondary-grade products being raised, the overall price would definitely rise again, and everyone must have confidence.