The Taiwan strawberry harvesting season is underway, but a decline in yields by 30% is anticipated due to seasonal factors, including cold temperatures in mid-January. The Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corporation's latest price quotations indicate that the average wholesale price for top-quality strawberries is NT$409 (US$13) per kilogram, leading consumers to pay between NT$500 and NT$600 in local markets.
“Miaoli County’s Dahu Township is the main strawberry production area in Taiwan, accounting for 80% of domestic output,” said Agriculture and Food Agency Deputy Director General Su Mao-Hsiang. The recent cold weather has impacted Dahu’s strawberry output, but cold is not the only factor behind low yields.
Many farmers planted their crops earlier this year due to the El Niño effect (2023–2024), which typically involves warmer winters. However, this approach resulted in poor annual planting, requiring extensive fertilizer use and making the crop susceptible to pest infestation and disease.
Deputy Director General Su pledged to provide more guidance to strawberry farmers, including the use of elevated cultivation beds and greenhouses to avoid pests and diseases. He also noted that strawberries were not the only fruit to increase in price this year, with most fruits costing more than the previous year due to events like Typhoon Koinu in October and inflation.
Source: taiwannews.com.tw
