PLUNGE IN POMELO PRICES
It caused pomelo prices to plunge, as it was too late for farmers to find new markets for the seasonal fruit.
In 2021, Taiwan exported more than 7,000 tonnes of pomelos, over 95 per cent of which headed to mainland China and Hong Kong. Madou accounts for some 28 per cent of the island’s annual output for pomelos.
“Some of my friends used to export their products to China. They were very anxious when China cut the order suddenly. All they could do is to find a new market as soon as possible,” said Mr Chen.
One year on, ahead of the mid-autumn festival on Friday (Sep 29), China has yet to relax its ban.
To reduce the impact on farmers, Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture has provided subsidies, while finding new overseas markets.
“We expected to face a huge impact after China’s ban. But instead, it created an opportunity,” said Taiwan’s Agriculture and Food Agency director-general Hu Jong-I.
“China is not the only market in the world. Local farmers are selling the pomelos to new overseas markets such as Canada, Japan and the UK. Over 173 tonnes of pomelos have been sent abroad (to countries other than China) so far this year. We have never managed to do that (by this time of the year) before.”