TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Amid the panic-buying seen following a surge in local COVID-19 infections, agricultural companies have begun to deliver "vegetable boxes" to people's homes.

Vegetable boxes combine leafy vegetables, mushrooms, root vegetables, and fruits. The new products are also helping farmers who sustained losses when schools closed and meal orders were canceled, UDN reported.

Since a Level 2 epidemic alert was imposed on May 11, sales of farm products have increased by 50 percent, according to The Council of Agriculture (COA). The surge in local cases on May 12 was followed by nearly triple-digit growth in the sale of frozen foods such as dumplings, spiced pork, and chicken, while like rice and canned foods have seen a 30 percent increase in sales.

To satisfy the demand, the COA came up with a shopping platform, Carnival of Farm Products (臺灣農產嘉年華), which features 57 online sellers. The platform offers over 30,000 products.

In 2020, online shopping for farm products increased by 21.5 percent, suggesting the rapid development of e-commerce in Taiwan, according to Mirai Business Research Institute.