Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-23
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Farmers cried over low lemon prices, which dropped to NT$14 per kilogram this winter from more than NT$20 and NT$30 in the previous two winters, saying they “don’t want to be farmers in their next lives.”

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Su Chen-ching said in a Tuesday’s press conference that he had received quite a few appeals from local farmers, complaining about the low lemon purchasing prices offered by exporters that couldn’t compare to the near NT$100 per catty a few years ago when lemon was a hot commodity.

Su cited the farmers by saying the price is too low to break even.

The lemon prices are really low in this winter partly due to the increase of planting areas from 1,000 hectares to 2,000 hectares after the Morakot flood disaster, but mostly due to the exploitation of the exporters, Pingtung County’s Department of Agriculture said.

The exporters received lemon purchase orders of more than NT$60 per kilogram, but only bought from local farmers for more than NT$10 per kilogram, the department said.     [FULL  STORY]