Farmers warned not to over-produce

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on April 18, 2006. It reports that Taiwan's farmers were recently urged not to over-produce fruit and vegetables simply because China had offered to increase duty-free imports of Taiwanese agricultural products.

China recently announced that it would dispatch buying teams to Taiwan to purchase surplus fruit and vegetables in times of overproduction. According to Chinese officials, such imports would be duty-free.

However, according to the Chung-Hua Institute for Economic Research, Taiwan's farmers should think twice before they increase production. They should take into account various risky factors such as the wide gap in price structures between Taiwan and China, the fierce competition from Southeast Asia, and the generally short shelf life of fruit and vegetables.

For future exports of Taiwan-produced fruit to China, farmers are advised to stick to high-quality shipments with high price tags. They should also export their produce directly to supermarkets or franchise stores in big cities in China in order to shorten delivery periods and avoid exploitation by middlemen.