The first batch of the Black Pearl (黑珍珠) strain of wax apples -- which are originally from the Malay peninsula but have been genetically improved in Taiwan -- were airlifted yesterday to Canada as part of the fruit's experimental entry into the North American market.
Black Pearl wax apples, which are grown mainly in Taiwan's southernmost county of Pingtung, get their name from their shiny dark-red color. They also taste sweeter than ordinary wax apples, are larger in size and have an improved texture -- which makes the strain a "pearl among fruits," according to those who named it.
Black Pearl wax apples command much higher prices than other strains -- around NT$200 (US$5.7) per kilogram compared to just NT$30 per kilogram for ordinary wax apples.
The Canada-bound wax apples, packed into small paper cartons that contain five or six fruits each, mark the first time that this kind of fruit has been exported to Canada.
Similar shipments are expected to be airlifted to Singapore shortly as part of an overseas sales campaign recently launched by the Taiwan Wax Apple Sales Strategic Alliance (台灣蓮霧產業聯盟) under technical guidance from the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Improvement Station (KDAIS, 高雄區農業改良場).
According to Lee Hsien-teh from the KDAIS, Taiwan's wax apples are priced high because of their good quality -- they are also a labor-intensive variety and require a slow growth rate and organic fertilizer to ensure good taste and texture
Of the roughly 8,300 hectares of wax apple orchards nationwide, about 7,000 hectares are in Pingtung County.
In Liukuei, Kaohsiung County, an even newer species of wax apple, the "black diamond" has been developed. However, the "black diamond," which is even larger than the "black pearl," is being produced in very low numbers, insufficient for even domestic consumption.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
The Philippines is working behind the scenes to enhance its defensive cooperation with Taiwan, the Washington Post said in a report published on Monday. “It would be hiding from the obvious to say that Taiwan’s security will not affect us,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr told the paper in an interview on Thursday last week. Although there has been no formal change to the Philippines’ diplomatic stance on recognizing Taiwan, Manila is increasingly concerned about Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea, the report said. The number of Chinese vessels in the seas around the Philippines, as well as Chinese
URBAN COMBAT: FIM-92 Stinger shoulder-fired missiles from the US made a rare public appearance during early-morning drills simulating an invasion of the Taipei MRT The ongoing Han Kuang military exercises entered their sixth day yesterday, simulating repelling enemy landings in Penghu County, setting up fortifications in Tainan, laying mines in waters in Kaohsiung and conducting urban combat drills in Taipei. At 5am in Penghu — part of the exercise’s first combat zone — participating units responded to a simulated rapid enemy landing on beaches, combining infantry as well as armored personnel. First Combat Zone Commander Chen Chun-yuan (陳俊源) led the combined armed troops utilizing a variety of weapons systems. Wang Keng-sheng (王鏗勝), the commander in charge of the Penghu Defense Command’s mechanized battalion, said he would give
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
RSS