The Ministry of Agriculture has authorized a shipment of pears that were bred in Taiwan to the UK for the first time, adding to a string of successes in exporting agricultural products to new global markets.
The ministry said it chose to ship the “Baodao Ganlu Jumbo Pear” (寶島甘露梨), which is crunchy and juicy, and has a flavor akin to sugarcane, because it is sufficiently hardy to last the one-month storage period aboard ships bound for Europe.
Ministry officials said that in recent weeks they had also sold pomeloes to the UK, followed by the shipment of 3.53 tonnes of jumbo pears, and they expect more progress in opening up new markets overseas for the nation’s fruits and other agricultural products.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-tse, Taipei Times
The pear is considered a “Taiwanese native cultivar,” developed by Liu Shen-chuan (劉申權), a fruit grower in his 70s with a farm in the mountains of Miaoli County’s Jhuolan Township (卓蘭).
The jumbo pear usually grows bigger than an average person’s face.
Following years of grafting, undergoing trials and diligent work, Liu filed for a patent for the new pear, which he and other authorized farmers can grow without having to import pear blossom budwood from Japan or China for grafting.
The pear has shown resistance to various diseases and infections, thereby reducing the amount of pesticide required, ministry officials said.
Trials have shown that the pear can be stored at 5°C or below for up to three months, said Su Teng-chao (蘇登照), head of the Fruit and Flower Industry Division at the Agriculture and Food Agency.
Su said the pears are in demand in Taiwan, which has driven up prices, and more farmers are switching to the variety.
The pear can weigh as much as 2kg and a gift pack of two can sell for more than NT$1,000, Agriculture and Food Agency deputy head Yao Chih-wan (姚志旺) said.
There are 4,946 hectares dedicated to growing the pear, mainly in hills and mountains of Jhuolan Township and Taichung’s Dongshih District (東勢), and annual production has reached about 100,000 tonnes, Yao said.
“We believe more people will switch to buying this pear, because it has a good, sweet taste and crunchy texture, and also a nice appearance. Many consumers have said that its taste and quality have surpassed that of imported Asian pears, so we expect the demand to grow,” he said.
Previously Taiwanese Asian pears were exported mainly to Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia due to the short shipping time, but this is the first time a Taiwanese exporter has clinched a deal to deliver to the UK, Yao said.
Taiwan’s fruit exports previously had mainly targeted China, but after repeated bans by the Chinese government, exporters are turning to Japan, South Korea, Canada, the UK and other overseas markets where they sell at higher prices, he said.
He also quoted a fruit exporter who declined to be named, who said that since China banned Taiwanese pineapples, the prevalent view is that the Chinese market is too risky and so Taiwanese firms are exploring other overseas markets.
“We must do it, because we cannot put all our eggs in one basket,” the exporter said.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old