Green jujubes grown in Kaohsiung are scheduled to hit supermarket shelves in France today as part of the city’s efforts to introduce the fruit to consumers in Europe, the Kaohsiung City Government Agriculture Bureau said yesterday.
Kaohsiung green jujubes are already sold in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Palau and Singapore, the bureau said.
The city is the largest green jujube producer in Taiwan, with a growing area of 750 hectares that makes up more than 40 percent of the country’s total for jujubes.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung City Government’s Agriculture Bureau
Farms growing the fruit are mainly found in Alian (阿蓮), Dashe (大社), Gangshan (岡山), Tianliao (田寮) and Yanchao (燕巢) districts, the bureau said.
The annual production value of Kaohsiung green jujubes has averaged NT$1 billion (US$35.87 million) in the past few years, the bureau said, adding that it intensified its efforts to boost visibility in the global market after exporting 870,897 tonnes of the fruit last year.
Kaohsiung is selling batches of the Tainung No. 13 green jujube — also known as the “Shirley” (雪麗) — to France through a trader in the Netherlands, the bureau said, describing the Shirley green jujube as having a perfect balance between sweet and sour flavors.
The green jujubes first arrived in the Netherlands by air and were then transported via road to France, it said, adding that the entire delivery process involved advanced cold chain storage so that consumers in France could enjoy fresh green jujubes like those sold in Taiwan.
The bureau worked with the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute under the Council of Agriculture to ensure that the fruit traveled well.
In addition to the Shirley, Kaohsiung has also sold Kaohsiung No. 11 Zhenmi (珍蜜) green jujubes overseas.
The bureau said people in Taiwan can log on to the Best of Kaohsiung e-commerce platform to order green jujubes into next month.
NOT JUSTIFIED: The bank’s governor said there would only be a rate cut if inflation falls below 1.5% and economic conditions deteriorate, which have not been detected The central bank yesterday kept its key interest rates unchanged for a fifth consecutive quarter, aligning with market expectations, while slightly lowering its inflation outlook amid signs of cooling price pressures. The move came after the US Federal Reserve held rates steady overnight, despite pressure from US President Donald Trump to cut borrowing costs. Central bank board members unanimously voted to maintain the discount rate at 2 percent, the secured loan rate at 2.375 percent and the overnight lending rate at 4.25 percent. “We consider the policy decision appropriate, although it suggests tightening leaning after factoring in slackening inflation and stable GDP growth,”
DIVIDED VIEWS: Although the Fed agreed on holding rates steady, some officials see no rate cuts for this year, while 10 policymakers foresee two or more cuts There are a lot of unknowns about the outlook for the economy and interest rates, but US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled at least one thing seems certain: Higher prices are coming. Fed policymakers voted unanimously to hold interest rates steady at a range of 4.25 percent to 4.50 percent for a fourth straight meeting on Wednesday, as they await clarity on whether tariffs would leave a one-time or more lasting mark on inflation. Powell said it is still unclear how much of the bill would fall on the shoulders of consumers, but he expects to learn more about tariffs
Greek tourism student Katerina quit within a month of starting work at a five-star hotel in Halkidiki, one of the country’s top destinations, because she said conditions were so dire. Beyond the bad pay, the 22-year-old said that her working and living conditions were “miserable and unacceptable.” Millions holiday in Greece every year, but its vital tourism industry is finding it harder and harder to recruit Greeks to look after them. “I was asked to work in any department of the hotel where there was a need, from service to cleaning,” said Katerina, a tourism and marketing student, who would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01