The mainland has promised to purchase more oranges from Taiwan, as growers on the island have seen prices slump due to over-production.

It's now the harvest season for oranges in Taiwan's central areas, but oversupply has forced prices down, He Shizhong, director of the economic bureau of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said yesterday.

Taiwan's Kuomintang Party asked the mainland to help and got a positive response, He said. "We've set up an emergency mechanism and will arrange business talks between mainland enterprises and Taiwan orange suppliers to help them out of the plight."

It's not the first time that the Chinese government has extended a helping hand to Taiwan farmers. Mainland companies won thanks for helping them sell overabundant fruit last year, added He.

Statistics show that Taiwan exported a total of 3,400 tons of fruit to the mainland in 2005 worth US$3.22 million and an increase of 35 percent on 2004.

(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2007)