Thanks to the government's efforts to boost cross-Straits
agricultural cooperation, farmers from Taiwan have been tasting
success on the mainland.
"It is juicy and is just as sweet as those grown in Taiwan," He
Wenyuan, a 49-year-old farmer from Taiwan said of his lianwu, or
bell fruit, originally grown in Taiwan but now being farmed in
Fujian Province.
He said the fruit was pesticide free and selling well at the 9th
Cross-Straits Flower Expo, despite being relatively expensive at
100 yuan ($13) a box. During the annual flower and farm products
expo, held last week in Zhangzhou in Fujian, farmers like He were
happy to recount their success stories, after starting fruit
businesses on the mainland.
Before moving to Fujian in 2000, He specialized in planting bell
fruit, also known as "black diamonds" because of their distinctive
diamond shape, sweet taste and nutritiousness.
"Taiwan has modern agriculture with intensive farming, advanced
management and a mature market. But due to high production costs,
profits have been shrinking," He said.
As a result, seven years ago, He decided to move to Longhai, a
county in Zhangzhou.
Fujian is the ancestral home of about 80 percent of the Taiwan
population and has many linguistic, cultural and climatic
similarities.
About 35.8 percent of Taiwan's population claims Zhangzhou as
their "hometown".
Additionally, farming costs are much lower.
Even so, things did not run smoothly for He, at first. He
planted 50 acres of bell fruit in Longhai, but found it difficult
to promote and sell his produce.
Chen Naizheng, a researcher with the agricultural department in
Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, said local farmers are used to managing
their business in an isolated, smallholder's way.
"There were no mature sales networks or agricultural cooperative
organizations to help," Chen said.
Things have improved since the central government prioritized
agriculture. The cross-Straits farming cooperation has became
important in fostering a closer geographical and cultural
relationship between Fujian and Taiwan.
With the support of the central government, agricultural
cooperation organizations have emerged. They are organized by
farmers producing the same products, provide advice on farming
techniques, market information and the distribution of farm
products to supermarkets.
In Fujian, Taiwan farmers have joined the agricultural
cooperation organizations, bringing new farm products, techniques
and management experience, while enjoying the benefits, as local
farmers, of the province's 342 cooperative organizations.
In 2005, an agricultural experiment area was established in
Fujian, aiming to reinforce agricultural cooperation between Fujian
and Taiwan.
According to figures from the agricultural bureau of the
provincial government, Fujian has approved 1,957 agricultural
investments from Taiwan this year, worth about $2.48 billion.
In his report to the Communist Party of China's 17th National
Congress last month, Hu Jintao stressed economic cooperation
between Fujian and Taiwan. In practice this means putting forward
preferential policies to facilitate agricultural cooperation
between the two sides, he said.
Up to this year, He Wenyuan has spent 5 million yuan on planting
bell fruit.
"As the market on the mainland grows, I think more people will
like my black diamonds," he said.
(China Daily November 27, 2007)