Poor Pollination of Taichung's Kyoho Grapes; Ho Hsin-chun, Johnny Chiang Urge Swift Aid
Due to poor pollination caused by unfavorable weather during the flowering period, Taichung's specialty Kyoho grapes are suffering from severely low fruit setting, with yields potentially less than 20% of normal. Legislators are calling on the government to provide swift relief measures.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 13, 2026 at 19:26
- 🔍 Collected: May 13, 2026 at 19:32 (5 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 13, 2026 at 19:56 (24 min after Collected)
Taichung, May 13 (CNA) - Due to poor pollination leading to low fruit setting rates, some fruits of Taichung's Kyoho grapes have formed 'stone grapes' that cannot grow. Legislative Yuan Vice President Johnny Chiang and DPP Legislator Ho Hsin-chun both called on central and local agricultural authorities today to provide swift assistance.
Ho Hsin-chun inspected grape orchards in Shigang and Xinshe districts today, inviting officials from the Ministry of Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Agency, the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, the Taichung City Government's Agriculture Bureau, and the Xinshe District Office for a survey. They found sparse fruit setting and small grape berries in the orchards, with a significant reduction in yield.
Ho Hsin-chun stated that during the flowering and pollination period this year, the grapes first encountered drought and high temperatures, followed by heavy rainfall. The pollen was washed away by the rain, leading to poor pollination. A field inspection of the orchards revealed that the total yield might be less than 20%. The Kyoho grapes, which should be in full clusters, now have many sparse clusters with small, poorly developed berries, and even seedless fruits colloquially known as 'stone grapes' that cannot continue to grow. This is expected to have a severe impact on farmers' income and their livelihood for the entire year.
Ho said that Taichung City has about 376 hectares of grape cultivation, mainly concentrated in Xinshe, Shigang, and Waipu, making it a very important specialty agricultural product for Taichung. This time, due to extreme weather causing poor pollination and a sharp decline in yield, and facing the possibility of farmers' hard work being washed away by the weather, the Agriculture and Food Agency and the Taichung City Agriculture Bureau should quickly compile damage reports and grant natural disaster relief funds leniently and swiftly to help farmers overcome their current difficulties.
Johnny Chiang also issued a press release urging the Ministry of Agriculture, the Taichung City Agriculture Bureau, and other units to adopt the principles of 'simplicity and speed' in assessing the agricultural losses of Kyoho grapes. By simplifying the declaration process and relaxing standards, relief funds can be made available in the shortest possible time to help farmers overcome the imminent livelihood crisis.
Chiang believes that relying solely on post-disaster relief is not a long-term solution. In the future, he will actively demand that the Ministry of Agriculture, the Agriculture and Food Agency, and the agricultural research and extension system jointly study and propose concrete countermeasures for improving cultivation techniques and disaster prevention facilities under extreme climate conditions. (Editor: Li Hsi-chang) 1150513
Ho Hsin-chun inspected grape orchards in Shigang and Xinshe districts today, inviting officials from the Ministry of Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Agency, the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, the Taichung City Government's Agriculture Bureau, and the Xinshe District Office for a survey. They found sparse fruit setting and small grape berries in the orchards, with a significant reduction in yield.
Ho Hsin-chun stated that during the flowering and pollination period this year, the grapes first encountered drought and high temperatures, followed by heavy rainfall. The pollen was washed away by the rain, leading to poor pollination. A field inspection of the orchards revealed that the total yield might be less than 20%. The Kyoho grapes, which should be in full clusters, now have many sparse clusters with small, poorly developed berries, and even seedless fruits colloquially known as 'stone grapes' that cannot continue to grow. This is expected to have a severe impact on farmers' income and their livelihood for the entire year.
Ho said that Taichung City has about 376 hectares of grape cultivation, mainly concentrated in Xinshe, Shigang, and Waipu, making it a very important specialty agricultural product for Taichung. This time, due to extreme weather causing poor pollination and a sharp decline in yield, and facing the possibility of farmers' hard work being washed away by the weather, the Agriculture and Food Agency and the Taichung City Agriculture Bureau should quickly compile damage reports and grant natural disaster relief funds leniently and swiftly to help farmers overcome their current difficulties.
Johnny Chiang also issued a press release urging the Ministry of Agriculture, the Taichung City Agriculture Bureau, and other units to adopt the principles of 'simplicity and speed' in assessing the agricultural losses of Kyoho grapes. By simplifying the declaration process and relaxing standards, relief funds can be made available in the shortest possible time to help farmers overcome the imminent livelihood crisis.
Chiang believes that relying solely on post-disaster relief is not a long-term solution. In the future, he will actively demand that the Ministry of Agriculture, the Agriculture and Food Agency, and the agricultural research and extension system jointly study and propose concrete countermeasures for improving cultivation techniques and disaster prevention facilities under extreme climate conditions. (Editor: Li Hsi-chang) 1150513