Taiwan’s pineapple industry is seeking to build on last year’s double-digit export growth with a target to ship 5,000 tonnes in 2014, according to the country’s Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA).
Taiwan exported a total of 4,746 tonnes of pineapples in 2013, marking an 11 per cent increase on the previous year. The value of exports rose more sharply, climbing by 30 per cent to net NT$142m (US$4.69m), reported Focus Taiwan News Channel, citing the AFA.
The AFA said Taiwanese pineapples have gained popularity in both China and Japan, earning a reputation for their quality, with much of the fruit grown in southern Taiwan.
Indeed, Taiwan’s pineapple exports have been expanding rapidly off a low base, recording an annual growth rate of 50 per cent between 2008 and 2012, according to analysis of ITC Comtrade data presented in the Asiafruit Congress Statistics Handbook 2013. China recently overtook Japan as the leading destination for the fruit.
As of 2012, pineapples were ranked fifth among Taiwan’s fresh fruit exports, making up 11.7 per cent of total fruit export volumes, according to the Asiafruit analysis.
Bananas, at 9,162 tonnes, remained the largest export with a 25.1 per cent share, followed by citrus at 6,865 tonnes (18.8 per cent share), sugar apples at 5,953 tonnes (16.2 per cent) and mangoes and mangosteen at 5,404 tonnes (14.8 per cent).
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