Farmer Liu Shih-lee (劉仕李), 91, has designed red lantern-like protective covers for the Japanese Hosui pears he grows in Hsinchu County’s Sinpu Township (新埔) to lower production costs in a competitive market.
The most challenging type of pear he grows is the Hosui cultivar, which is vulnerable to cold rainwater and fog, Liu said.
Before, he used the traditional protective method — a type of specialized “umbrella,” he said.
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times
However, each small umbrella costs at least NT$14, he said, adding that of the more than 300 pear trees on a 1 hectare plot, more than 60 are Hosui trees and require this kind of protection.
That would translate into at least 3,500 umbrellas, which costs far too much, Liu said.
Farmers’ incomes are limited, but consumers want to purchase inexpensive but high-quality products, Liu said, adding that the only chance to meet market expectations is to try to lower production costs as much as possible.
After brainstorming with his son, they thought of using disposable bowls and chopsticks to replace the umbrellas, Liu said.
Using a combination of disposable chopsticks, plastic bowls and fastening bands, Liu said he lowered the cost of protecting each pear to less than NT$1.
The disposable tableware is also convenient to store and can be reused every year, Liu added.
Liu started growing pears with his father when he was young, he said, adding that half of his 2 hectares of land in the Nanping Borough (南平) mountains is still being used to cultivate the fruit.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it