EDITORIAL: Lessons from the pineapple sagaIncreased orders for Taiwanese pineapples have helped the government overcome a crisis sparked by China’s ban on the fruit, but healthier agricultural policies are needed as “pineapple nationalism” ends. By comparison, the Australian Office Taipei was quiet, despite Wu’s reference to “freedom wine” promoted by Australia when he launched the pineapple initiative. Despite the Council of Agriculture’s subsidies for shipments and air cargo, it is never easy to sell agricultural products to markets other than China, which remains the main destination of Taiwan’s agricultural exports. Taiwan is known for its exceptional work developing cultivars, such as mango pineapples and peach wax apples introduced last year. To minimize the effect of market fluctuations, authorities should plan with growers in mind, rather than getting lost in agricultural politics.

Source: Taipei Times March 13, 2021 16:05 UTC