Local firms step up for pineapplesBy Yang Yuan-ting and Lee Hsin-fang / Staff reportersTaiwanese firms responded swiftly to a call to buy the nation’s surplus pineapple crop after China abruptly stopped imports, with 10 local firms placing orders totaling 1,600 tonnes, Council of Agriculture officials said yesterday. Excluding the 13 batches, 99.79 percent of the pineapples sent to China since last year have met Chinese import standards, it added. The council has set up a hotline for companies to place large orders, and it took measures to stabilize pineapple prices. Taiwan last year exported 41,661 tonnes of pineapples to China for NT$1.49 billion (US$52.64 million), accounting for 91 percent of total pineapple exports, the data showed. “We are looking at companies to place orders to present pineapples as gifts to employees and customers.

Source: Taipei Times February 27, 2021 16:00 UTC