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Price of Agricultural Products will Stabilize as Supply of Vegetables, Chicken and Aquatic Products Increases before the Dragon Boat Festival

2014-05-06

As a local newspapers reported on May 6 that the price of fruit, pork and chicken had risen up too much for people to bear, the Council of Agriculture (COA) replied as follows:

Due to the abundant production of fruit last April, its average wholesale price was the lowest for the past five years. However, owing to the impact of four typhoons last year and continuous cold fronts earlier this year, the production of fruits in need of long-term growing period considerably decreased this year. In April, the average wholesale price of fruit in Taipei’s markets reached NT$39.7 per kilogram, which rose by 35% compared with the same month last year. Guava and pineapple became more expensive by 71% and 47% respectively, with watermelon, banana and papaya up between 30% and 40%. As the recent weather gradually turns warm, the above seasonal fruits would gently increase in supply, and the increase of its price would become slower.

The auction price of hog rose due to people’s expectation for the insufficient number of hog supply under epidemic outbreaks of piglet diarrhea which happened a few months earlier, as well as due to the international price going up. However, the number and price of hog have gradually stabilized after the Tomb-sweeping Festival. In April, the auction price of pork in the market was NT$78.1 per kilogram, lower than NT$80.6 per kilogram in March. In addition, in order to replace pork, the weekly supply of white meat chicken reached 3.7 million, representing an increase of 130,000 per week compared with the same period last year. On account of its decreasing seasonal demand, the farm price of red-feathered native chicken has continuously dropped since February 10. In April, its farm price was NT$75.2 per kilogram, a decrease of NT$11.2 compared with that in March. The price of aquatic products rose, as cold fronts in early this year resulted in the slow growth of farmed fish, along with the increasing international price this year. In April, the average wholesale price of aquatic products in thirteen selling places was NT$114.1 per kilogram, up by 10% compared with the same month last year. However, there is a wide variety of aquatic products with interchangeable features. Tilapia, grass carp and silver carp are relatively cheaper. People can buy more of these cheaper aquatic products.

The COA noted that in addition to some products with rising price, so far vegetables and eggs have an affordable price. In April, the average wholesale price of vegetables in Taipei’s fruit and vegetable markets was NT$19.8 per kilogram, dropping by 15.7% compared with the same month last year. Due to the production capacity restoration, the farm price of eggs in April was NT$49.8 per kilogram, a cut of NT$5.8 compared with that in March and a drop of 2.3% compared with the same month last year.

The COA stressed that according to the latest forecast of agricultural production, major agricultural products in June before the Dragon Boat Festival are abundant in supply to meet market demand. Except for the auction price of hog unlikely to stabilize in May and June this year, the wholesale price of most agricultural products could remain the same or decline slightly under appropriate weather conditions. In the future, the COA will continue to monitor the wholesale price, actively plan different measures in response, and work with Executive Yuan’s “Price Stabilization Task Force” to keep an eye on price change of all agricultural products, so as to meet consumers’ basic living needs.