The pineapple is an important fruit in Taiwan. This is the time of year when Taiwanese pineapple export to China would normally reach a peak. However, since the outbreak of COVID-19 around the Chinese Spring Festival [25 January, 2020], the sales of Taiwanese pineapples have suffered from the consequences of the epidemic.
Mr. Huang of Little Farmer Dian Dian Co., Ltd. recently shared his analysis of the current conditions in the Taiwanese pineapple market: "Our production season generally starts in late February or early March. The Taiwanese weather in early March was sometimes cold and sometimes hot. This has an effect on the product quality of pineapples. The pineapples do not produce enough sugars under these circumstances. The volume of commercial pineapples suitable for export was relatively small. Now that the production season is further underway, we are able to produce larger volumes. However, even though we work closely together with our partner in Xiamen, the market conditions do not look good. The delivery volume is somewhat smaller than around this time last year. What does make us happy is the flourishing pineapple trade in the domestic market. Our production is up and running at full speed, but the overall demand still lags behind."
"The price of Taiwanese apples has been very unstable in the last few weeks. The current price is quite high. The price in production areas is 15-18 NT [0.50-0.60 USD] per kg. I believe that the main reason for this high price is the relatively weak position of the Chinese yuan. This leads to artificial inflation of the cost price of Taiwanese pineapples for Chinese importers. As long as the currency exchange rate fluctuates, the price of pineapples will not stabilize. However, I do believe the price will come down a bit this week."
New trends and technologies
"We have noticed an increase in online orders since the outbreak of the corona virus. We have therefore decided to make our pineapples available through several e-commerce platforms to satisfy consumer demand. Everything is proceeding smoothly. This year we also opened a new branch office in Shanghai together with our partner in Xiamen, Xing Xian Fruit Industry.
"We hope to further expand our market share in China. We are also working hard to improve the maintenance of product quality during transport. We distribute our pineapples via Jinmen and Pingtan in Fujian. Transport is currently going well, but the procedures in Pingtan are more time consuming. This is not great for the product quality of our pineapples. In order to solve this problem, we are working together with a doctor to research and develop our own transport technology. We have put this technology through a period of intense observation and the technology performs very well. We are now able to export our pineapples to even more distant destinations. Furthermore, this technology is also very effective for cherries."
Production volume and product quality
When asked about the production volume this season, Mr. Huang replied: "Our production volume increased in comparison with previous years. However, the product quality of our pineapples is slightly lower than last year. The sugar content is around 14% this year. Last year the sugar content was around 15%-16%. The main reason for this difference is a change in weather conditions. This year was not warm enough. In April the weather will improve and we expect the product quality to follow. However, in the end, the product quality is still very high. The pineapples are juicy and the flavor is excellent. In addition, the pineapples are bigger than last year. We expect to supply pineapples until July."
For more information:
Mr. Huang
Little Farmer Dian Dian Co., Ltd.
WeChat: snake19820220
Taiwan tel.: +886 908 855 099
Chinese subsidiary company
Wu Mianmian
Xiamen Xing Xian Fruit Industry Co., Ltd.
China Tel.: +86 138 5995 6708