The weather has been warm since last winter. This greatly affected the fruit industry. The production volume and price are usually stable throughout the year, but this year the production season began early. The major Taiwanese pineapple production areas are in Yunlin, Jiayi, Tainan, and Nantou. The Jinzuan pineapple harvest began 2-3 weeks early in those production areas. The sudden explosion of the Jinzuan pineapple supply put severe pressure on the price.
The most popular pineapple variety in the domestic market is the Tainong no. 17 Jinzuan pineapple. The price and the supply of high-quality pineapples normally remain stable throughout the production season. This year was slightly different. The growing conditions were ideal because the winter was warmer than normal. The production season began earlier than last year. The major production area stretches from Gaobing to Nantou, and the harvest was 2-3 weeks early throughout this stretch.
The production season of Jinzuan pineapples is already in the final stage. The greater Taibei area is one of the major consumer markets of Jinzuan pineapples. The Wholesale Market Price Surveillance shows that the production season began early this year and the current wholesale price is around 35.7 New Taiwan Dollar [1.14 USD] per kg. This is nearly double the price of last year. The overall retail volume reached 45 thousand kg, which is a new record.
Source: bbc.com.tw