Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
October 7, 2012 [Liberty Times reporter Fu Chaobiao / Miaoli report]
The Consumers' Foundation tested commercially available herbal teas and found pesticide residues in nine chrysanthemum samples. Chrysanthemum farmers in Tongluo Township, Miaoli County—Taiwan’s main producer of Hangzhou chrysanthemums—suspect the contaminated products likely came from China, which floods the market with cheap imports. They worry this will harm Tongluo’s pesticide-compliant chrysanthemum industry.
Zeng Yixiao, general manager of the Tongluo Farmers’ Association, said Tongluo chrysanthemums have a harvest period of less than a month each November. Samples are taken before, during, and after the harvest and sent to the Council of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Institute and the Pesticide and Toxic Substance Research Institute for testing. Last year, all samples passed inspection, and this year, they obtained the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification.
Zeng Yixiao noted that hundreds of tons of Chinese chrysanthemums are imported into Taiwan annually, while Tongluo’s yearly output is only 200,000 to 300,000 catties—a stark difference. Although Taiwan’s chrysanthemums are of higher quality and safer, Chinese chrysanthemums sell for just 200 to 300 NT dollars per catty, with some even priced below 100 NT dollars, whereas Tongluo chrysanthemums cost 600 to 1,000 NT dollars per catty.
Zeng Yixiao expressed concern that the large-scale dumping of cheap Chinese chrysanthemums has already impacted Tongluo’s market. The test results released by the Consumers' Foundation yesterday may further deter consumers from purchasing chrysanthemum tea products, causing compliant Tongluo chrysanthemums to suffer collateral damage.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E4……1% 9D% E6% 93% 8A- 202500070. html;_ylt=Agjmn7a_LRp8QdLI0PyPCSnTBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTRkcTlxcGZzBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBMaWZlc3R5bGVTRiBDb25zdW1wdGlvblNTRgRwa2cDNWMxOTE0NjgtNTkyMC0zMmI2LTllNjAtYTEwNDQyZDBjNjljBHBvcwM2BHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyA2U3NzU3M2MwLTBmZjMtMTFlMi1iZTdhLTNkYzQ4NWY4MGU0YQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTI2Njk2Yzh1BGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMEcHN0Y2F0A.eUn.a0u3zmtojosrvmg4XloLEEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3
Chinese Cheap Chrysanthemum Dumping Threatens Certified Tonglu Hangju
The Consumers' Foundation tested commercially available herbal teas and found pesticide residues in nine chrysanthemum samples. Chrysanthemum farmers in Tongluo Township, Miaoli County—Taiwan’s main producer of Hangzhou chrysanthemums—suspect the contaminated products likely came from China, which floods the market with cheap imports. They worry this will harm Tongluo’s pesticide-compliant chrysanthemum industry.
Zeng Yixiao, general manager of the Tongluo Farmers’ Association, said Tongluo chrysanthemums have a harvest period of less than a month each November. Samples are taken before, during, and after the harvest and sent to the Council of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Institute and the Pesticide and Toxic Substance Research Institute for testing. Last year, all samples passed inspection, and this year, they obtained the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification.
Zeng Yixiao noted that hundreds of tons of Chinese chrysanthemums are imported into Taiwan annually, while Tongluo’s yearly output is only 200,000 to 300,000 catties—a stark difference. Although Taiwan’s chrysanthemums are of higher quality and safer, Chinese chrysanthemums sell for just 200 to 300 NT dollars per catty, with some even priced below 100 NT dollars, whereas Tongluo chrysanthemums cost 600 to 1,000 NT dollars per catty.
Zeng Yixiao expressed concern that the large-scale dumping of cheap Chinese chrysanthemums has already impacted Tongluo’s market. The test results released by the Consumers' Foundation yesterday may further deter consumers from purchasing chrysanthemum tea products, causing compliant Tongluo chrysanthemums to suffer collateral damage.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E4……1% 9D% E6% 93% 8A- 202500070. html;_ylt=Agjmn7a_LRp8QdLI0PyPCSnTBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTRkcTlxcGZzBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBMaWZlc3R5bGVTRiBDb25zdW1wdGlvblNTRgRwa2cDNWMxOTE0NjgtNTkyMC0zMmI2LTllNjAtYTEwNDQyZDBjNjljBHBvcwM2BHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyA2U3NzU3M2MwLTBmZjMtMTFlMi1iZTdhLTNkYzQ4NWY4MGU0YQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTI2Njk2Yzh1BGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMEcHN0Y2F0A.eUn.a0u3zmtojosrvmg4XloLEEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3