The Jiouru Township Farmers’ Association on Friday packed 100kg of pineapple fibers that would be repurposed for use in textileS and clothing, marking the start of agricultural waste valorization, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
The pineapple fibers would be delivered to the textile company UKL Enterprise Co, turned into yarn and apparel, and then exported to the US, Japan and Vietnam, it said.
Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said that the fibers were collected from 20,000 pineapples grown on about 0.5 hectares of farmland and can be made into about 7,500 garments.
Photo: Screen grab from Ministry of Agriculture’s Web site
The association purchases pineapple leaves from agricultural workers at NT$7 per kilogram, bringing them an additional income of NT$10,000 per 0.5 hectares based on about 2 tonnes of pineapple leaves per 0.5 hectares, he said.
Pineapple is one of Taiwan’s major fruit exports, but for a long time, only the fruit has been harvested for use, Chen said.
The rest of the plant has been buried as fertilizer, but the whole plant could actually be repurposed for diverse applications, he said.
For example, pineapple leaf fibers can be made into yarn and used to manufacture textiles, and the leaf detritus can be processed into boards or plant-based leather, Chen said.
Bromelain can also be extracted from pineapple stems, which can be used in feed additives or medical dressings, while the peel can be made into silage, he added.
The ministry would invest more resources in the development of more automatic equipment for pineapple harvesting and leaf collection to lessen the human labor required for fieldwork and stabilize the supply of pineapple biowaste, Chen said.
The ministry said full recycling of agricultural resources and achieving zero waste are its key administrative goals.
It guided the association to introduce the automatic equipment for extracting fibers from pineapple leaves, which significantly improved fiber quality and production efficiency, the ministry said.
It said it would also continue to assist more companies in taking part in the valorization and in various applications of other agricultural biowaste to promote circular agriculture.
Association secretary-general Kung Tai-wen (龔泰文) said he expects the ministry to also help introduce an automatic device for collecting pineapple leaves to further reduce the costs.
Additional reporting by CNA
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such