China to Buy 1,200 Tons of Oranges From Taiwan – Kuomintang

Text of report in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency website

Taipei, 15 January: Two Chinese organizations are planning to purchase a total of 12,000 metric tons of oranges from the central county of Yunlin at 15 dollars new Taiwan (0.46 US dollars) per kilo in the coming days, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislative caucus reported Monday.

The purchase was made possible after KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou visited Yunlin Jan. 11 and met with local fruit growers, who complained that an orange glut has driven the price down to an average of below 10 new Taiwan dollars per kilo, according to Tseng Yung-chuan, executive director of the KMT Central Policy Committee.

Ma instructed Chen Wu-hsiung, a member of the National Policy Foundation, which is a KMT think-tank, and Chang Shuo-wen, who is a KMT legislator representing the Yunlin constituency, to depart for China 11 January to meet with Beijing authorities and discuss a possible purchase of Yunlin oranges by China.

According to Chen, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council then arranged a meeting between the two delegates and executives from the two Chinese marketing organizations.

The two sides agreed that the two Chinese companies would purchase 12,000 metric tons of Yunlin oranges at of 15 new Taiwan dollars per kilo, the first shipment of which – three containers – was scheduled to leave for Shanghai Tuesday, according to Chen.

Chen said prices of Yunlin oranges have plunged below production cost, to an average of 8 new Taiwan dollars per kilo, as a result of glut, leaving growers in dire straits, adding that the KMT’s emergency measure to sell the fruit to China has only the goal of protecting fruit growers’ interests.

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