Mainland China’s General Administration of Customs announced today that imports of Taiwan’s sugar apples and wax apples will be suspended effective September 20, due to detected quarantine pests. Given this suspension’s potential impacts on Taiwan’s farmers, the Kuomintang (KMT) has made the following three appeals and suggestions:
1. The mainland Chinese market accounts for 90 percent of Taiwan’s exports of sugar apples and wax apples, according to the Agriculture and Food Agency, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan. This shows their popularity among Mainland consumers. We hope that the government will take concrete actions to mitigate the ramifications of the suspension and not reduce their much-ballyhooed love of farmers to a mere slogan.
2. Whether Taiwan’s sugar apples and wax apples carry insect pests or diseases, and whether the supposed risks of insect pests present serious threats to import countries are questions best left for scientists and experts to determine. We recommend that the government send expert groups to the Mainland to straighten out the facts and resolve disputes through bilateral negotiations.
3. When the KMT was the ruling party from 2008 to 2016, both sides of the Taiwan Strait signed the Cross-Strait Arrangement on Cooperation of Agricultural Product Quarantine and Inspection. Under Article 9 of the agreement, both sides agreed to set up a mechanism to coordinate actions should major quarantine and inspection emergencies arise, as well as to enable prompt notifications and swift verification of such emergencies. We hope that the government will avail itself of this instrument and while doing so, fight for our farmers’ best interests.
