The price of bananas in Taiwan, which has shot up in recent weeks due to crop damage from several typhoons last year, is expected to remain high until May or June, the Ministry of Agriculture said today.
According to the Agriculture and Food Agency, the price of bananas at Taipei’s First and Second Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Markets yesterday was NT$107.1 per kilogram, up 84.2 percent from NT$58.1 on the same date last year.
The high prices were mainly the result of typhoons that struck Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, the fruit's main growing regions, last year, agency director Yao Chih-wang (姚志旺) said.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
Typhoon damage reduced the current banana crop to “almost nothing,” causing prices to rise, Yao said.
Although farmers have worked to replant and rehabilitate their trees, bananas take about a year before they are ready to harvest, Yao said, adding that he expected prices to moderate during the crop’s next harvest in May and June.
Three typhoons made landfall in Taiwan last year: Typhoon Gaemi on July 25 in Yilan County, Typhoon Krathon on Oct. 3 in Kaohsiung and Typhoon Kong-rey on Oct. 23 in Taitung County.
Aside from bananas, the harvests of jujubes and wax apples were also severely impacted by the typhoons, causing their prices to rise, Yao said.
The price of guavas, which has risen 15.9 percent to NT$68.6 per kilogram compared to last year, is also expected to fall in May or June, he said.
In the meantime, the public is advised to eat citrus fruits, Yao said.
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