Abundant local fruit harvests drove down fruit prices and reduced demand for apples and other imported fruit in the first half of 2018. As a result, MY2017/18 apple consumption fell eight percent, to 156,051 tons. Over 99 percent of apples in Taiwan are imported. U.S. apple exports to Taiwan fell 18 percent in MY2017/18, to 49,340 tons. U.S. organic apple exports, boosted by strong consumer demand for organics, escaped this downward momentum and grew one percent, to 4,307 tons. Apple consumption is forecast to rebound 3.5 percent to 161,500 tons in MY2018/19.
Production: Taiwan has limited apple production, supplying less than one percent of local demand. Production is forecast at 1,500 tons in marketing year (MY) 2018/19 based on normal weather. MY2017/18 production is lowered slightly to 1,451 tons based on Council of Agriculture (COA) statistics. Taiwan had 73,000 bearing trees on 196 hectares in 2017 according to COA statistics. Apple production is concentrated in the mountainous central regions of Taiwan in Nantou and Taichung county. Locally planted varieties include Fuji, Five Paw, Gold Crown, and Honey. The harvest season is from September to December.
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