Taipei -- The Chinese mainland has agreed to buy 2,000 tons of bananas from Taiwan to help the island ease a surplus of the fruit.
 
The first batch of 300 tons will be shipped to Shanghai and the northern city of Tianjin next week, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

The deal came as Taiwanese authorities were seeking to ease the plight of banana farmers. Local authorities have led a promotional campaign by eating bananas in public, and officials have encouraged using surplus bananas to make buns and noodles.

Attracted by the vast Chinese market, many Taiwanese farmers have moved to the mainland over the past decade to grow fruits and vegetables.

Last week, Chen Yunlin, head of the Chinese Communist Party's Taiwan affairs office, promised closer agricultural cooperation at a farm forum with Taiwanese opposition politicians.

Chen saw off Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) Honorary Chairman Lien Chan at the airport of Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province, who was there for a trade fair showcasing progress in across-Strait agricultural cooperation.

Lien learned that the bananas from Taiwan had suffered sluggish sales. Farmers cross the strait were worried about an over-abundant harvest this year and hoped the CPC and KMT would work through their platform to solve the problem.

Early in June, the Chinese mainland bought 200 ton surplus bananas from Taiwan and received applause from Taiwan farmers.