Secretariat, Taipei City Government

At the invitation of organizers, Mayor Ko Wen-je attended the 2021 Nantou Plum Festival – Mei in Taiwan promotional event on April 10. He showed his support for plum farmers of the county in central Taiwan.
 
During his address, the mayor pointed out that the main regions producing plums in Nantou County include the townships of Xinyi, Shuili, Guoxing, and Renai. The peak season usually lasts from the end of March through mid-May. As a major agricultural produce of Nantou, the cultivation area of plums takes up roughly 1,356 hectares in the county (compared to 4,220 hectares nationwide). With an annual quantity of 4,305 metric tons, the plums of Nantou acconts for over 26-percent of the country’s plum production (16,613 metric tons).
 
He praised the plums of Xinyi County for its high quality, and the township boasts the largest number of hand-picked plums. Products made from processed green plums include pickled plums, Q plums, perilla plum, aged plum, plum vinegar, plum enzyme, plum wine, and plum extract.
 
The Jiangguo Holiday Flower Market is the result of collaboration among the Department of Economic Development, Taipei City Farmers’ Association, Consortium Chinese Floral Arts Foundation, the market’s self-governing committee, and market vendors. Joining force with nearby Daan Forest Park, MRT station, Weekend Jade Market, and Arts and Culture Zone, the vast parking lot under the overpass is transformed into a bustling urban garden during weekends and holidays which attracts roughly 30,000 visitors each weekend. The city has plans to set up an agriculture produce area at zone 3 of the holiday market.
 
Taipei is the largest market in Taiwan for agricultural produce. Venues such as the Jiangguo Holiday Flower Market and the Taipei Expo Park Farmers’ Market provide farmers and flower growers from across the island a platform to sell their goods, while ensuring local consumers’ access to fresh produce. In the future, the city government will continue to work with other municipalities to offer great deals on quality agricultural products to citizens while supporting growers.