Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Taipei City Government collaborated with Taipei Farmers’ Association to hold a special one-day farmers market at the Civic Plaza on January 23. The proceeds from sales will support the victims of Typhoon Morakot and fund reconstruction efforts.
Typhoon Morakot, one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the island, flooded many parts of southern Taiwan and left a trail of utter destruction in the summer of 2009.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and Vice President Vincent Siew appeared on the stage to show their support. They also presided over the auction of selected fruits and handicrafts from the disaster areas.
The mayor helped raised NT$12,000 by auctioning off vests, knitted bags, coffee beans, and oolong tea. Following the charity auction, Hau visited the booths and stalls, spending NT$5,800 on vegetables and fruits.
Other central government officials attending the farmers market included Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung, Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Sun Ta-chuan, and Morakot Typhoon Recovery Commission Deputy Executive Chen Chen-chuan.
The 150 booths at the venue offer farm goods, seafood, and other specialty products from the disaster areas including: Nantou County’s Xinyi Township; Chiayi County’s Alishan area; Kaohsiung County’s Jiaxian Township (Xiaolin Village); Namasia Township and Liouguei Township(Xinkai Tribe); Pintung Couty’s Linbian Township and Jiadong Township; Taidong County’s Beinan Township (Shiban hot spring); and Namasia Township. Indigenous vendors ran 79 stalls at the day’s event.