Fruit likely contaminated by nearby fields: councilGOING BANANAS: The Council of Agriculture said it would strengthen regulation and inspection of fruit farms exporting to Japan to ensure product qualityBy Yang Yuan-ting and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerA shipment of bananas that was rejected by Japan early this month might have been contaminated by nearby fields, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday. Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Chen Junne-jih speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday concerning recent agricultural issues. This means 30 percent of the fruit is tested per shipment, instead of the previous 3 to 5 percent per shipment, Chen said. Asked about local media reports about a shortage of agricultural packaging materials, Chen said that demand for cardboard packaging has surged as manufacturers and other businesses pick up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The council has taken steps to secure packaging materials for the 16 hardest-hit farmers’ cooperatives from the nation’s leading paper manufacturers, he said, adding that a platform would be created to distribute packaging materials to farmers.

Source: Taipei Times April 15, 2021 15:56 UTC