2011’s low rainfall has lead to high productivity and consequently low prices for oranges and cabbages, Formosa Television reported yesterday (Chinese article here). Prices of Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata (高麗菜; “Korean vegetable”) and Chinese cabbage (大白菜; Brassica rapa pekinensis; “big white vegetable”), fell as low as NT$5-6 per kilogram in areas of production, while that of ponkan (椪柑; Citrus poonensis; a relative of the tangerine) fell to NT$4-6 per catty (台斤; 600g).
This is causing much dismay to farmers—and their political supporters—since capital costs for ponkan, for example, are estimated at NT$12 per catty.
Text and photos © Jiyue Publications 2011
