《TAIPEI TIMES》 Buyers snap up fruit after farmer refuses China sales

健康 國際 地方 蒐奇 影音 財經 娛樂 汽車 時尚 體育 3 C 評論 藝文 玩咖 食譜 地產 專區 TAIPEI TIMES 求職

Pomeloes hang on a tree at Liu Tzu-hao’s farm in Hualien County in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Liu

By Hua Meng-ching and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer

A Hualien pomelo farmer refused to sell to China after the country announced it would permit more Taiwanese pomelo imports, prompting widespread support from Taiwanese consumers, who rallied to buy his fruit.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said that China’s General Administration of Customs registered an additional 79 Taiwanese pomelo orchards and packing facilities in Hualien County, allowing more Taiwanese producers to export pomelos to China.

“I am a Hualien fruit farmer and I refuse to sell to China,” Liu Tzu-hao （劉子豪） from Ruisui Township （瑞穗） said in an online post.

Liu is a well-known farmer in the community and has served for years as head of the Ruisui fruit farmers’ marketing group.

His post was flooded with supportive comments from people praising his courage, with many buying boxes of pomelos to support him.

However, the post garnered negative comments when it was reposted on Chinese social media platforms, with Chinese users saying that they do not need Taiwan’s fruit.

Liu has frequently voiced his views at local Hualien forums, including supporting the recall of Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） caucus whip Fu Kun-chi （傅?萁） and publicly backing Hualien County Council Speaker and independent county commissioner candidate Chang Chun （張峻）.

“I am just being myself, thank you for all your support,” Liu said on Friday last week.

Liu said he is not a member of any political party and referred to himself as a small fruit farmer.

“I love my little, mountainous Taiwan,” Liu said, emphasizing that Taiwanese people do not need to grovel to anyone.

Liu grows more than 10 hectares of pomeloes, with this year’s harvest reportedly totaling hundreds of thousands of kilograms and filling the entire packing facility.

With support from Taiwanese, he announced yesterday that his pomelos had sold out, and that lots of orders are still waiting to be shipped.

Farmers should be able to stand on their own, Liu said, adding that he remains cautious about selling pomelos to China because “a box sells for less than NT$200 or NT$300 there.”

He sells directly to customers online and has built his own brand with a reputation for quality, allowing him to sell for much higher prices, he said.

The quality of his pomeloes and a loyal customer base give him the confidence to not sell to China, he said.

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