The Agriculture and Food Agency has collaborated with grocery and convenience store chains to market guavas and processed guava products following a decline in production due to natural disasters, agency Chief Secretary Chen Li-yi (陳立儀) said on Saturday.
The four chains are PX Mart, Carrefour Taiwan, 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, he said.
Guavas have a total planting area of 7,600 hectares in Taiwan, with Kaohsiung being the region with the largest production volume, followed by Tainan and Changhua County, Chen said.
Photo courtesy of the Agriculture and Food Agency
The annual production of guavas nationwide is 200,000 tonnes, amounting to an annual output value of NT$6.5 billion (US$225 million), he said.
Although production declined due to three powerful typhoons last year and relatively low temperatures earlier this year, it has risen again with guava prices lowered and stabilized, he said.
With production of the fruit expected to peak from this month to September, the agency is working with the Changhua County Top 100 Fruit and Vegetable Production Cooperative, and the four major chains to promote guavas and their processed products, such as licorice guava or sliced guavas, he said.
More than 1,400 tonnes of guavas would be distributed to stores from today until September, which is expected to yield NT$40 million in output value, Chen said.
Under normal circumstances, the annual guava export volume is about 3,000 tonnes, he said.
However, only 800 tonnes of guavas have been exported this year due to reduced production and price surges, while 1,600 tonnes were shipped at about the same time last year, Chen said, adding that the agency would seek to boost sales domestically and abroad.
Changhua County Top 100 Fruit and Vegetable Production Cooperative president Chen Chien-lung (陳建隆) said that guavas were first introduced to Taiwan from central and southern America, and the Caribbean, and initially planted in Changhua County’s Shetou Township (社頭).
Eating guavas with licorice powder became common in Taiwan, as the fruit used to possess an astringent taste until sweeter varieties were bred in Taiwan, he said.
Thanks to the agency’s continued assistance over the past few years, guavas would be exported to the US for the first time starting from next month, Chen Chien-lung said.
Guava exports to the US are projected to be 50 to 100 containers per month from central Taiwan, although the exact quantity has yet to be determined based on production, he said.
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
RSS