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DPP blames Ma over
banana surplus
GOING BANANAS: Ma appeared to indicate he had
not been made aware of the problem earlier, but said it could be easily solved
by exporting bananas to China
By Mo Yan-chih and Vincent Y. Chao / Staff Reporters
Facing criticism from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) over his
government’s handling of appeals by struggling farmers, President Ma Ying-jeou
(馬英九) yesterday instructed the Council of Agriculture (COA) to protect farmers’
livelihoods by addressing problems caused by the surplus production of bananas.
During a telephone conversation with Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung
(陳武雄), Ma asked the council to establish a notification mechanism to better
monitor the production of bananas and papayas, as well as other agricultural
produce.
“President Ma is anxious about the surplus production of fruit and has already
instructed the council to determine the source of the problem and warn farmers,
so that their livelihoods won’t be affected,” Presidential Office spokesman Fan
Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) said yesterday.
The issue of surplus production of fruit was raised on Saturday in Nantou County
when Ma met a group of residents who served as host families during his
long-stay election campaign four years ago.
Banana growers from Pingtung County expressed concern about the low price of
bananas.
In response to calls by farmers for the government to address the issue, Ma, who
is seeking re--election in January, said: “Why didn’t you tell me about the
problem earlier?” adding that the -government could solve the problem by
exporting bananas to China.
Two days prior to Ma’s remarks, Taiwan Affairs Office Director Wang Yi (王毅) said
during a reception for Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) in Beijing that China was
aware of the banana surplus in Taiwan and could help Taiwanese banana growers.
Ma’s comments drew criticism from the DPP, which accused the president and the
government of neglecting a longstanding problem.
During a visit to a banana market in Greater Kaohsiung yesterday, DPP
Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) criticized Ma’s
comments.
“His remarks amount to not taking responsibility and doing nothing to help
banana farmers resolve their problems,” Tsai said.
Responding to the accusations, Fan Chiang yesterday defended the Ma
administration’s efforts to help farmers and accused the opposition parties of
politicizing the issue.
“The president’s concerns about the issue and his efforts to protect farmers
should not be distorted. The opposition should work with the government in
seeking solutions to the problem rather than engaging in political rows,” he
said.
The COA contacted the Ministry of National Defense and food and beverage
manufactures last week to talk about large-scale purchase of bananas, Fan Chiang
said.
The government would also continue its efforts to establish a mechanism to
better coordinate the production and sale of agricultural produce, he added.
Tsai yesterday proposed the creation of a uniform mechanism for bananas, adding
that such a measure would prevent large buyers from aggressively pushing down
costs.
Agricultural issues would the one of the future DPP administration’s first
priorities, she said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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