With the Lunar New Year approaching, the supply of essential goods for the holiday season has drawn widespread public attention. In response, Mayor of Taichung City, Shiow-Yen Lu visited the Taichung Fish Market and the Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market shortly after 4 a.m. on January 30 to conduct a pre-holiday inspection. The visit aimed to assess firsthand the supply and distribution of New Year goods as well as the state of market preparations. Mayor Lu noted that Taichung is a major city with a combined registered and floating population of approximately three million, making the stable supply of holiday goods particularly critical during the Lunar New Year period. She emphasized that the city government must conduct advance oversight to ensure that, first, supplies are sufficient; second, prices are reasonable; and third, quality standards are upheld, so that residents can celebrate the New Year with peace of mind.
Mayor Lu noted that the fish, fruit and vegetable, and meat wholesale markets under the jurisdiction of the city government serve as key hubs for the supply of essential goods during the Lunar New Year period. For this reason, she made a special early-morning visit to the front lines to gain a clear understanding of actual prices and supply conditions. According to her assessment, overall supply conditions are currently stable, with ample quantities of vegetables, seafood, meat, and fruit, steady prices, and quality standards being well maintained. Mayor Lu emphasized that with nearly 10 days remaining before the Lunar New Year and the peak shopping period approaching, the city government will instruct major wholesale markets to further increase supply volumes and continue to strengthen price monitoring, ensuring smooth market operations throughout the holiday season.
At 4:30 a.m., Mayor Lu, accompanied by the director of Agriculture Bureau, Yi-an Li, inspected trading activities at the Taichung Fish Market. According to Taichung Fish Market Co., Ltd., due to the impact of coastal photovoltaic development this year, the supply of certain farmed fish has seen a slight decline. As a result, prices ahead of the Lunar New Year are expected to rise modestly, though they remain within a reasonable range. Currently, the average daily trading volume of aquatic products is approximately 45 metric tons, with an average price of around NT$165 per kilogram. Supplies of key species—including yellow croaker, grouper, tilapia, golden pomfret, bass, and milkfish—remain stable. In preparation for the pre-holiday peak, the fish market has also initiated a full mobilization plan one week prior to the Lunar New Year, encompassing traffic flow management, comprehensive inspections of auction equipment, and the deployment of additional on-site personnel to ensure smooth and orderly auction operations ahead of the holiday.
At 5:30 a.m., Mayor Lu proceeded to the Taichung Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market to review on-site the auction operations and supply conditions of produce. Director Li noted that food safety and cold-chain preservation for fruits and vegetables have long been key priorities of the city government. The city government has guided the wholesale market in installing mass spectrometry rapid screening equipment and has completed Phase II of the cold-chain distribution center project. These measures will further enhance produce safety and freshness, enabling residents to purchase with confidence and consume with peace of mind.
Taichung Fruit and Vegetable Marketing Co., Ltd. explained that supplies of fruits and vegetables ahead of the Lunar New Year are ample. Recently, the average daily trading volume of vegetables has been approximately 220 metric tons, with an average price of around NT$20 per kilogram. Fruit trading averages about 420 metric tons per day, with an average price of approximately NT$75 per kilogram. Demand has been particularly strong for seasonal holiday fruits such as citrus varieties, Indian jujube, papayas, pineapples, and snow pears. In response to the holiday peak, the wholesale market has initiated a full mobilization plan one week in advance, beginning on February 12, with staff reporting to work one hour earlier, adjustments to auction and negotiated pricing schedules, and flexible supply allocation to ensure stable quality and pricing throughout the festive period.
Regarding meat supplies, Mayor Lu stated that the Daan Meat Market has recently recorded a daily auction volume of approximately 1,800 to 2,200 pigs, with prices ranging from about NT$86 to NT$88 per kilogram. Supply volumes are expected to increase further as the Lunar New Year approaches. She also underscored that, following the challenges posed by African swine fever, the city government has adopted more stringent biosecurity and disease prevention measures for meat safety. All pigs traded originate from licensed slaughterhouses and are subject to multiple layers of inspection by professional veterinarians. Disinfection and inspection procedures have been fully institutionalized, allowing residents to consume domestically produced pork with complete confidence.
The Agriculture Bureau added that the final two weeks leading up to the Lunar New Year constitute the peak trading period for wholesale markets. In response, the city government has activated a comprehensive monitoring mechanism, continuing to strengthen disinfection, disease prevention, and environmental surveillance across markets, slaughterhouses, and related facilities. Through rigorous oversight from source to table, the city government is ensuring a safe and secure supply of goods throughout the holiday season.
In addition to reviewing the supply and distribution of goods for the holiday season, Mayor Lu also took the opportunity to express her appreciation to frontline market personnel for their dedicated efforts. She noted that the fish market typically begins operations at midnight, but with the Lunar New Year approaching, wholesale activities have started even earlier, at 11 p.m. Likewise, the fruit and vegetable market, which normally opens at 2 a.m., has moved its start time up to 1 a.m. ahead of the holiday. Many supply and distribution workers have their day and night reversed completely, working virtually around the clock to ensure a smooth and reliable holiday supply. Mayor Lu described them as “the hardest-working group” and conveyed the city government’s highest respect and gratitude. Mayor Lu also personally prepared and distributed Lunar New Year red envelopes to vendors, extending her best wishes for a prosperous year ahead, with thriving businesses and abundant financial success.
Mayor Lu also expressed her appreciation to Legislator Chiung-ying Yang and Taichung City Councilor Shih-chou Liu for arriving early in the morning to show concern for local livelihood supplies. She noted that Legislator Yang has long maintained close communication with the Ministry of Agriculture, actively securing agricultural and infrastructure resources for Taichung, thereby making significant contributions to local development. Despite the very early hour of the inspection, elected representatives accompanied the visit, engaging directly with suppliers and listening to frontline needs, demonstrating their commitment to grassroots industries.
In closing, Mayor Lu emphasized that the city government will continue to remain on the front lines to stabilize the supply of essential goods, ensure smooth market operations, reasonable prices, and reliable quality. She expressed hopes for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, and a thriving economy in the coming year, wishing that business operators may “earn money and continue to profit in Year of the Horse,” and that all residents can celebrate the Lunar New Year with peace of mind and joy.
Today’s inspection was attended by Mayor Shiow-yen Lu, Legislator Chiung-ying Yang, City Councilor Shih-chou Liu, the director of Agriculture Bureau, Yi-an Li, Chairman Huan-hsiang Li and General Manager Li-hua Liao of Taichung Fish Market Co., Ltd., Lai Li-rong, Chairperson of the Taichung City Fish Merchants Association, as well as Chairman Kuo-yung Lin and General Manager Chia-yen Yu of Taichung Fruit and Vegetable Marketing Co., Ltd.

Media Contact: Agriculture Bureau, Taichung City Government
Tel: 04-22289111