Southern Pineapple Farmers Protest in Taipei|產地收購價崩盤 鳳梨農北上抗議
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Pineapple prices are falling and irate farmers from central and southern Taiwan arrived in Taipei for a mass protest on July 3. They say exports have been stagnant this year and wholesale prices have hit rock bottom. In the mean time, Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien was in the south visiting pineapple farms. He said necessary measures have been take and denied the report that he was avoiding the protest intentionally.
Holding up white banners and pineapples, farmers from central and southern Taiwan protest outside the Legislative Yuan. They later head to the Executive Yuan with a letter for the government protesting plummeting pineapple prices.
There is simply not enough domestic consumption or demand. We are dependent on exports. With exports so stagnant right now, we can't put food on the table.
Many of the farmers were in tears, saying they have spent over half their lives growing pineapples and they have to depend on exports to put food on the table year after year. They say they are in a bind because exports have been stagnant this year and wholesale prices have hit rock bottom. Despite this, someone somehow convinced half the farmers planning to take part in the protest the night before the protest to stay home.
(Someone) personally went to them and begged them not to go. Farmers in every city received visits from these people and were told protesting was useless. We had 100-200 tour buses ready to go, but filled less than five in the end.
Farmers have lots of ways to make their voices heard. It looks like the people that organized the protest were politically motivated and trying to manipulate the elections at the end of the year. We don't have to deal with unreasonable people like this.
Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien was in the south visiting pineapple farms during the protest. Asked if he intentionally arranged his trip to avoid the protest, Lin said the protestors were merely expressing their opinion and measures that should be taken have already been taken. He also said the protestors likely have political ulterior motives.
