Small farmers from the East Coast have launched a new collaboration with three of Taiwan''s biggest online retailers, making their local produce easy to buy at the touch of a button. Supported by the Agriculture and Food Agency, farmers from Yilan, Hualien and Taitung are hoping the scheme will put East Coast delicacies within easy reach for the rest of the country.
This Chinese angelica tea is a specialty from Hualien''s Yuli Township. Now even if you''re stuck on the West Coast, you can easily order these products online for home delivery.
Hsu Hui-fei
Agriculture and Food Agency
While we''re trying to prevent the spread of the pandemic, everyone''s gotten used to shopping online, which is the safest way. Besides, the eastern region is farther away.
The Agriculture and Food Agency is working with three online retailers: Eslite, Gomaji and The Wonderful Food. The line of specialty items, naturally grown and produced by small farmers, is aimed at customers who like to shop organic.
Farmer
What we need most in the post-pandemic era is actually to join in online retailers'' models for joint development. We expect sales to grow by about 30-40%.
One participating farmer, a rice producer from Yilan, told us that traditionally, to sell her products in stores, she spent many hours just visiting clients and setting up shelf displays. Now her products get exposure through online retail platforms, and she hopes to see 30-40% sales growth. This Chinese angelica farmer from Yuli stressed that all their ingredients are grown through ecological farming methods. He brought whole angelica and red sage out to show off.
Farmer
We''re from Yuli Township in Hualien, and we grow angelica and red sage. We make some of our crops into more commercial products, such as Chinese angelica tea bags and red sage tea bags.
Local farmers are carrying the torch for some of the oldest skills in Taiwan. Now they''re finding more ways to collaborate with tech platforms, making Taiwan''s incredible natural abundance more available to everyone.
