Taiwan bananas shipped to Singapore for 1st time
The shipment, weighing 6.6 metric tons, came from a farm in Taiwan's southernmost county of Pingtung.
"It was a historic moment," said Pingtung County agricultural official Yao Chih-wang.
The traditional market for Taiwanese bananas is Japan, but there has been strong competition from the Philippines over recent years.
According to Bureau of Foreign Trade statistics, banana exports to Japan have gone from 42,600 metric tons in 2000, to 19,100 metric tons in 2007 to 8,530 metric tons last year.
Taiwan had hoped that China might turn out to be a strong market, but this has failed to materialise.
The Singapore-bound bananas are expected to be unveiled in the city state at a Taiwanese fruit and vegetable festival held July 11.
Source: focustaiwan.tw
