It's the peak season for peaches in Hsinchu and Taichung. But with the Level 3 COVID-19 alert extended for another two weeks, peach farmers can only turn to the internet to sell their harvest.
In the past, around this time of year, tons of visitors would be traveling to the peach farms of Jianshi Township in Hsinchu, buying juicy pink fruit to bring home. But this year, with a Level 3 COVID-19 alert in place until July 12, nobody is showing up at the farms. The farmers cannot bear to see their 520 metric tons of peaches rot away. Luckily, the town office has helped out by creating a website where peach lovers can purchase the fruit online.
The peach plantations at the Wuling Farm in Taichung are faced with the same dilemma. In the past, the farm only allowed visitors staying at the farm to buy the peaches. With no guests, though, the farm has now started selling the fruit online for the first time in history. In just ten days, the farm had received 1,500 orders.