The mainland suspended the import of Shakya lotus fog, Taiwan is not afraid? DPP authorities: The price of pineapples has not fallen, but has risen

Following the mainland's suspension of the import of pineapples from Taiwan in March, the mainland customs yesterday announced a moratorium on the entry of Taiwan's Shakya (senchi) and lotus mist into the mainland from today. Scholars on the island pointed out that compared with the relatively scattered market of pineapples, Shakya exports almost 100% to the mainland, and if it flows back to the Taiwan market, it will hit the market price very hard.

Yang Mingxian, a professor at the Department of International Trade at Fengjia University in Taiwan, said that after the mainland suspended the import of Pineapple from Taiwan in March, the "Agricultural Committee" actively explored other markets; however, the export market for pineapples was relatively scattered, and Shakya, the main export force, was highly concentrated in exporting Chinese mainland.

Yang Mingxian pointed out that because the possibility of Shakya exporting to other countries or regions is still unclear, it is more difficult to disperse the market; if it is sold back to Taiwan, the impact on prices will be very large, and now there is still a short period of time before the November season of Shakya, he suggested that The Taiwan side can strengthen the quarantine work such as the management, harvesting, inspection, and shipment of exported orchards, and strive for further consultation.

In response to the introduction of Taiwan's lotus fog ban, many lotus fog farmers on the island are worried that if the price of "bullet lotus fog" plummets, the impact on Pingtung, which accounts for 70% of the total lotus fog planting area in Taiwan, is not small. According to the statistics of the Pingtung County Government, although the Lotus Mist in Pingtung is only exported more than 10%, the vast majority of them are sold to the mainland, which will have a certain impact.

Pingtung County Government pointed out that the planting area of lotus fog in Pingtung is more than 3,000 hectares, with an average annual output of 30,000 to 40,000 tons, accounting for 70% of the total planting area and output of lotus fog in Taiwan, of which about 10% is exported, like this year's foreign sales of only more than 1,700 tons, but the amount sold to the mainland is more than 1,600 tons, accounting for 80% or 90% of foreign sales.

"I am afraid of impacting the market price", Yang surnamed fruit farmers said, compared with other crops banned on the mainland, although the impact of lotus fog is relatively low, but it is not completely unaffected, many fruit farmers are worried that once the lotus mist that was originally sold to the mainland cannot be sold, the price may be miserable after returning to the island market.

He said that the lotus mist varieties sold to the mainland are mainly Thai bullet lotus mist, and the acceptance of this variety in the island market is low, because the people do not like to eat, the price is not good, so if this batch of lotus mist really cannot be sold to the mainland, the price of returning to the island market must be worse. He said that the Pingtung lotus fog production season is from December to April and May of the following year, and he hopes that the ruling authorities will try to help the bullet lotus mist farmers before the production season.

As for the pineapple that was previously suspended by the mainland, how did the Taiwan side deal with it? According to statistics, from this year to August, pineapple sales of 28,767 tons, deducting the suspension of imports of Taiwan pineapples after March, foreign sales are still 25,187 metric tons, an increase of 566% over the same period last year, of which the Japanese market has grown by 742% and the Hong Kong market has also grown by 514%.

The "Committee of Agriculture" also claimed that the average price of pineapples from March to June this year was NT$22.1 per kilogram, higher than 19.8 yuan in the same period in 2019 and 17.3 yuan in 2020, which has ensured farmers' income.

However, in view of the way the DPP authorities throw money to subsidize fruit farmers, many netizens on the island have questioning voices, believing that this move "cures the symptoms but not the root causes" and cannot fundamentally solve the problem of export sales, but wastes tax money and leaves debts for posterity. (Editing by Xue Yang)