President Hu Jintao has written to two Taiwanese agricultural associations in a bid to allay fears that cheap mainland produce will flood the island's agricultural markets after the Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement took effect on January 1.
The brief message, written in response to a Lunar New Year greeting the associations sent to Hu last month, welcomed investment by Taiwanese agricultural companies on the mainland and spoke in glowing terms of Taiwanese farmers' 'vast' opportunities in the market across the strait.
'I am delighted to learn that your development on the mainland is progressing smoothly and you are producing high-quality goods,' the Fujian Daily quoted Hu as writing.
'This is sufficient to prove that cross-strait agricultural co-operation has great potential and Taiwanese farmers have vast space to develop in the mainland market.'
It was Hu's first letter to Taiwanese civilian organisations since he assumed office, Taiwan's United Daily reported.
The two associations represent about 300 businesses investing in two agricultural development projects in southern Fujian's Zhangpu and Zhangping counties.
Hu visited the investment zones during the Lunar New Year last year, and the two associations sent him a report on January 20 to update him on their development since then.
