Kaohsiung’s Lin Yuan District is the original home of onions in Taiwan. In recent years, Pingtung has overtaken it in production, but last year’s typhoons devastated Pingtung’s onion crop. Seizing the opportunity, Lin Yuan farmers actively replanted, leading to a relatively stable yield this year and full pockets for growers. On the 5th, the Lin Yuan District Office hosted an Onion Festival, inviting the public to “kǎo” (dig up) onions in the fields, hoping to reshape the area’s image through agricultural experiences and move beyond its reputation as a cluster of factories.
Lin Yuan District Chief Xie Shui-fu said that onions grown in Lin Yuan are sweet and fragrant, with no pungent aftertaste. However, in recent years, Pingtung has gained more recognition. Last year, two to three consecutive typhoons caused a sharp decline in onion production across the region. But Lin Yuan farmers took a contrarian approach, replanting their fields four times. As a result, although this year’s planting area shrank by 40%, leaving only 42 hectares under cultivation, the overall yield remained similar to previous years, showing relative stability.
“Hengchun and Fangliao had no onion harvests this year, so traders could only source from Lin Yuan,” Xie Shui-fu said. In the past, an onion purchase price of NT$13 per kilogram was already considered good. This year, prices soared to NT$21, leaving farmers beaming with joy.
In the past, during the onion harvest season, the district office would hold the “Lin Yuan Onion Festival” to promote the crop. However, previous events were rather conventional, mainly featuring stalls and sales booths, at most adding an “onion feast.” This year, in response to the abundant onion crop, the district office coordinated with farmers and opened up 0.2 hectares of fields for visitors to “kǎo” (dig up) onions. Hundreds of families signed up to participate.
Yesterday, the “Fenglinyuan Onion Festival” kicked off, with Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Hsu Ming-chun, Legislator Liu Shih-fang, local councilors Wang Yao-yu and Lee Yuting, among others, joining in the fun as they dug up onions alongside residents.
Xie Shui-fu laughed, saying he hopes to revive the onion industry through rural experiences, so outsiders will no longer associate “Lin Yuan” solely with air pollution from industrial zones.