Madou Farmers' Association Supermarket Transforms into a Boutique Department Store, Fresh Produce and Processed Goods Showcase the Charm of Rural Taiwan

Tainan's Madou has recently gained a new hotspot for photos. The Madou Farmers' Association has transformed its original storefront into a boutique supermarket, decorated like a department store. From fresh fruits and vegetables to pomelo flower shampoo produced locally in the township, products are available in full range. Small farmers can bring their own produce to stock the shelves themselves. Inside there are comfortable tables and chairs for resting, and the flowers arranged on the tables also come from local farmers, making outsiders exclaim how beautiful it is. "What you can buy at PX Mart, we have; what you can't buy at PX Mart, we also have," said Sun Cimin, the beautiful Director-General of the Madou Farmers' Association, confidently.

Madou Farmers' Association is famous for its pomelo but also under great pressure, having once faced operational difficulties

When it comes to Madou, the mind automatically fills in "pomelo." "We are famous because of pomelo, but we are also under considerable pressure because of pomelo," said Sun Cimin. This year marks her third year as Director-General. Having worked at the farmers' association for over twenty years, she previously served in the planning department and as an auditor. Unlike many farmers' associations where the Director-General comes from the extension department, she admits she was actually quite afraid when she first took on the role.

The Madou Farmers' Association is well-known, but carrying that signboard also brings great pressure. Sun Cimin stated that in the past, the farmers' association had poor financial conditions due to mismanagement. The previous Director-General, due to financial constraints, had little room to organize additional activities, which at one point caused farmers to misunderstand the association. When she was asked about taking over, she was very afraid of not doing well, but out of her emotional attachment to the farmers' association, she still agreed.

On her first day taking over, Sun Cimin looked at the financial reports and the pressure grew. "The previous Director-General worked so hard, yet the association's finances were still very tight. When he took over, he must have been under even more pressure than me." Looking at the reports and the association's 77 employees, Sun Cimin decided to take the initiative.

Going north and crossing the sea to sell externally, holding local events to attract people to Madou

"After Director-General Sun took office, Madou Farmers' Association's activities changed a lot," said Yiru, an employee of the Madou Farmers' Association. Because the Director-General did not come from the extension department, she specifically went to National Taiwan University to pursue an EMBA at the Graduate Institute of Bio-Industry Communication and Development for the sake of the association. Over the past two years, both local and external activities in Madou have increased, and even existing local events have incorporated new elements, allowing the entire Madou area to be seen by others.

"The previous Director-General also held local events. I'm just leading everyone to go out more." For external sales events, Sun Cimin personally led farmers' association staff north to Banqiao, and even crossed the sea to the Hong Kong, China Food Expo, continuously making the Madou Farmers' Association's agricultural products visible.

Madou's local events include the Pomelo Flower Festival in March and the Pomelo Festival in August. Sun Cimin refined the events, limiting tourists attending the Pomelo Flower Festival to within thirty people per group, and rotating the hosting among pomelo orchards in each village. "The premise is that the orchards must be well-maintained. Now farmers compete to host events, which allows the farmers' association to also require farmers to take good care of their orchards and reduce pesticide use."

Purchasing pomelo flowers to solve pomelo production and sales issues, increase farmer income, and help pomelo trees grow better

Beyond events, Sun Cimin also wanted to improve the annual pomelo production and sales problems. Madou's cultivation area is over two thousand hectares, nearly half of which is planted with pomelo. Sun Cimin stated that pomelo sales are concentrated in the period before the Mid-Autumn Festival each year, but climate impacts and large fruit issues are frequently encountered. This year, she decided to respond early by purchasing pomelo flowers from new pomelo trees to make processed products, thoroughly solving the large fruit problem.

Pomelo trees under 8 years old are called "new trees." The large fruit they produce has coarser fiber in the flesh and is not favored by consumers. The price gap with old-tree pomelo is significant, and they can usually only be sold for processing. Last year, the Madou Farmers' Association purchased one million jin of large pomelo, accounting for about 20% of Madou's annual production. However, processing is quite labor-intensive, from peeling to cutting the flesh, all done by hand. Purchasing large quantities in a short time requires freeing up cold storage space and processing as quickly as possible, creating immense time pressure.

Sun Cimin believes that large fruit from new trees flowing into the market will drive down pomelo prices, affecting not only Madou but also pomelo from other regions. The best way to reduce large fruit is to directly purchase pomelo flowers from new trees. This way, no fruit will be produced, farmers will have income, and they can save on fruit cultivation costs while nurturing their pomelo trees well.

Developing pomelo-scented black tea, cosmetics and other processed products; the farmers' association does not compete with farmers but helps increase their income

Last year, the Madou Farmers' Association already tried using pomelo flowers from new trees provided by farmers, cooperating with the Yuchi Township Farmers' Association to create a new product, pomelo flower black tea. Sun Cimin stated that last year's pomelo flower black tea sold well. If pomelo flowers can continue to be developed into high-value-added processed products, it will further increase farmers' willingness to sell. This year, cosmetics, face masks and other skincare products will be the focus of research and development.

The current purchase price for pomelo flowers is set at 200 yuan per kilogram. Sun Cimin stated that meetings have already been held with each production and marketing group leader. The purchase requirement is for unopened pomelo flower buds from new trees in complete areas where no pesticides have been used. If petals are present, the price will be higher. After purchase, pesticide residue testing will be conducted. All Madou pomelo farmers are welcome to register.

"Farmers sell old-tree pomelo, the farmers' association properly handles secondary-grade fruit. That's a positive cycle." Sun Cimin stated that most Madou pomelo farmers have their own sales channels. The farmers' association will not compete with farmers for business. What the association can do is reduce large fruit from new trees flowing into the market, keep pomelo prices good, and convert secondary-grade fruit into income for farmers.

Caring not only for pomelo farmers but also for other large and small farmers

Besides pomelo, Madou still has other crops. "There are many pomelo farmers, but other farmers also need care." Sun Cimin pointed to the cutting and collection facility across from the farmers' association and stated that large farmers growing other agricultural products in Madou can sell to the farmers' association for purchase. The association's own cutting facility processes them and delivers them to school nutritional lunches and the Coast Guard Administration's group meals. "We also handle meat products with production and sales traceability."

As for small farmers, Sun Cimin did not neglect them either. The Madou Farmers' Association supermarket opened in a brand-new form on January 18th of this year. The association invested heavily, redesigning everything from the overall color scheme, visual arrangement to product display, creating a completely renewed farmers' association supermarket. "The supermarket is meant to be a sales platform for young farmers and small farmers, so it absolutely must be eye-catching."

Sun Cimin recalled that in the past, the farmers' association supermarket mostly had local elders coming to buy daily necessities, but sales speed was limited. After the new main visual display and sales approach, a new customer base has been expanded. "On holidays, tourists keep walking in to buy souvenirs." Sun Cimin stated that there is a parking lot outside the farmers' association supermarket, which is quite convenient for tourists and can also increase their time spent.