Taiwan feels no pain from mainland China’s ban on pineapples as Japanese buyers step in
- Trade data shows farmers have fared better since China blocked imports in March 1, as sympathetic Japanese shoppers stepped in to provide support
- ‘The bleeding was stopped before it even began,’ an official at the Council of Agriculture in Taipei says
First-half numbers collected by Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture show growers of the fruit on the island have fared better since China blocked imports starting March 1, as sympathetic Japanese shoppers stepped in to provide support.
Overseas shoppers snap up Taiwan pineapples in defiance of China ban
“The bleeding was stopped before it even began,” said Chen Li-i, an official at the Council of Agriculture in Taipei.
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Pineapple bumper harvest hailed in China as Beijing bans imports of the fruit from Taiwan
Pineapples are an important source of income for farmers in central and southern Taiwan. Around 11 per cent of the fruit harvested in Taiwan are sold overseas. Until the ban, they were almost entirely shipped to China.
“Export orders are looking unexpectedly good,” said Chiao Chun, chief executive officer of Harvest Consultancy Co. in Taipei. “This really was a crisis turned into an opportunity.”
Besides the help from Japan, an increase in domestic demand fuelled by a “save the farmers” campaign on social media rallied local shoppers in support of growers. Even President Tsai pitched in a day after China’s ban took effect.
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Farmers also received passionate backing from local businesses. Restaurants across the island rushed in to add a pineapple-infused sweet twist to all sorts of dishes ranging from shrimp balls, fried rice and even the classic beef noodle soup. Taiwan Railways Administration introduced special edition lunchboxes with pineapples as one of the side dishes.
As a result, domestic prices of the fruit jumped 28 per cent to an average NT$22.1 (US$80 cents) per kilogram in the March-June period, a three-year high. The total value of the pineapples sold locally rose 17 per cent, according to data provided by the farm council’s Chen.
“Higher prices driven by strong domestic demand led to more profit for the farmers,” Chen said.
Taiwan needs to review its export markets for the fruit, according to Young Fu-fan, a grower in the southern county of Tainan.
“Farmers can’t expect to make ‘easy money’ from China any more,” he said.