Ministry of Agriculture invests in new plantings as it awaits final approvals
Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture has announced it expects to send its first shipment of pineapples to the US next year, according to a report by the Taiwan Times.
The statement comes after the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published its pest risk analysis for public review in March of this year, providing a 60-day comment period ending on 4 May 2026.
The Taiwan ministry has now completed all necessary administrative procedures, and it is waiting on the US to give formal notification to begin exports, the minister of agriculture Chen Junne-jih told the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee on 14 October, the Taiwan Times said.
The US has expressed concerns over the oriental fruit fly and mealybug caterpillar but, according to Chen, agreed that pineapples with more than 50 per cent Cayenne genetics do not host the insect.
Under the export requirements, golden pineapples, which currently account for 90 per cent of Taiwanese pineapple production, would not require special quarantine treatments as it is an accepted Cayenne variation. Mango pineapples, a newer variety with a total cultivation area of 50ha, would also be accepted the ministry said, adding that it would gradually encourage growers to switch to the newer variety, as it is more suited to storage and transportation, and better for high-end markets.
In preparation for the new access, Taiwan’s government has helped to prepare 50ha of pineapples including the two varieties for export to the US.
In the address, the ministry highlighted Taiwan’s recent success in expanding overseas markets for its pineapples. The country has exported15,700 tonnes to Japan this year, while shipments to Canada, Korea and Australia rose by nearly 409 percent, 171 percent and 29 percent respectively, it said, adding that new markets also include New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.
Taiwan’s peak pineapple season runs from February to May, so the ministry is hopeful the approcal would arrive in time for next season.
