The Council of Agriculture (COA) voiced gratitude Friday to 16 enterprises and governmental units Friday for purchasing overproduced fruits.
Companies such as the Yulon Group, First Bank, Guanta Computer and government ministries including the Ministry of National Defense bought 1,480 metric tons of bananas, papayas, guavas and oranges this year to help farmers handle the glut, the council said.
Speaking of local fruit farmers often faced with production-sale imbalances, the COA's Agriculture and Food Agency Director-General Chen Wen-deh said measures have been taken to deal with the problem, including decreasing fruit-farming lands.
Taking bananas as an example, the scale of farmlands held by the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corp. leased to farmers to grow bananas has been cut from 1,900 hectares in 2006 to 500 hectares this year, Chen said.
According to the agency, Taiwan contains 11,000 hectares of banana gardens, with about 2,000 banana trees per hectare.
Banana sales often slow in the domestic market in July and August because many other fruits are available in the summer, said Hsu Han-chin, chief secretary of the council agency.
In the first six months of the year, Taiwan shipped more than 8,000 tons of bananas to Japan and other 1,565 tons to China. Those exports were all made to help relax the pressure of this season's harvest, Hsu said.
Companies such as the Yulon Group, First Bank, Guanta Computer and government ministries including the Ministry of National Defense bought 1,480 metric tons of bananas, papayas, guavas and oranges this year to help farmers handle the glut, the council said.
Speaking of local fruit farmers often faced with production-sale imbalances, the COA's Agriculture and Food Agency Director-General Chen Wen-deh said measures have been taken to deal with the problem, including decreasing fruit-farming lands.
Taking bananas as an example, the scale of farmlands held by the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corp. leased to farmers to grow bananas has been cut from 1,900 hectares in 2006 to 500 hectares this year, Chen said.
According to the agency, Taiwan contains 11,000 hectares of banana gardens, with about 2,000 banana trees per hectare.
Banana sales often slow in the domestic market in July and August because many other fruits are available in the summer, said Hsu Han-chin, chief secretary of the council agency.
In the first six months of the year, Taiwan shipped more than 8,000 tons of bananas to Japan and other 1,565 tons to China. Those exports were all made to help relax the pressure of this season's harvest, Hsu said.
