On August 10, Nongfu Spring founder and chairman Zhong Shanshan appeared on a CCTV program for the first time to publicly discuss the "medicated plum" incident. He stated that ordinary farmers are the most affected by this controversy.

Zhong expressed that these farmers are "both the most ignorant and the most innocent," as they lack knowledge about the pesticide ingredients they use. "They only follow others' advice 鈥?if someone tells them to spray, they spray," he explained.

The founder highlighted the collective pressure faced by farmers, noting that when neighboring farmers all accept the practice of spraying, individual farmers face a dilemma. "If you don't accept it, who will you sell to? If everyone else does it and you don't, what happens to our village?" he questioned, adding that the entire village often cooperates with such practices, leaving farmers with little choice but to comply.