Taiwan is the nation of fruit, and the green-skinned guava is one of the most luscious delights it has to offer. Last fall, Taiwan signed an agreement with Washington to ship guavas to the U.S. For Taiwanese farmers, this new market presents promising opportunities for profit, as well as some newfound challenges. There are big regulatory hurdles associated with exporting to the U.S., and farmers will have to invest cash and time to get access. We pay a visit to guava growers and follow them on their journey to break new ground. Our Sunday special report. Kaohsiung’s Yanchao District is the guava capital of Taiwan. Today, fruit farmer Hsu Chiu-hsiang is taking us on a tour of her orchard to see how the fruit grows. In Taiwan, guavas can be harvested year-round, but the quality of the fruit is best in autumn. The right time to pick guavas from the tree is when they are 80% ripe. Hsu Chiu-hsiangGuava farmerOne bite of a Yanchao guava and you will always remember the taste. It’s a little bit sour and a little bit sweet.After guavas are picked and separated by weight, they are packed into cardboard boxes in preparation to be shipped to fruit and vegetable markets up north. As soon as the following day, customers will be able to buy the guavas from their local vendors.Hsu Chiu-hsiangGuava farmerCurrently one catty is going for about NT$50 or NT$60. When prices are bad, it goes for NT$10 or $20. Most of Taiwan’s guavas are sold on the domestic market. Exports account for 2% to 3% a year.Hsu Hui-feiAgriculture and Food AgencySingapore is the main market for Taiwan’s guava exports. Other markets include China and Hong Kong. To break into a new market, Taiwan’s government worked for 10 years to reach an agreement with the U.S. government. The deal, signed in last October, made Taiwan one of only two countries permitted to ship guavas to the U.S.Hsu Hui-feiAgriculture and Food AgencyThe export price of guavas will become a reference point for the domestic price. So this development could be helpful in driving up domestic prices.It took 10 years to reach an agreement with the U.S. due to concerns over insect infestation.Chou Hui-chuanInspection and quarantineWhat they most care about is the oriental fruit fly. It’s been around in Taiwan for a very long time. It is also a significant source of damage to fruit trees in Taiwan. There are many countries in which the oriental fruit fly does not exist.The oriental fruit fly makes a small hole in a piece of fruit, before injecting its eggs into it. After the eggs are laid, the fruit cannot be eaten. It can only be removed from the tree. Every day, Hsu Chiu-hsiang’s most important task is to make the rounds on the orchard to inspect the guavas. In the three weeks after flowers appear, she must ensure the fruit is bagged and covered in an additional layer of plastic to prevent fruit flies from piercing it. Another method of prevention at her disposal is to set traps for the flies. U.S. officials require not only that fruit is bagged, but that it is kept refrigerated. This technique is what makes the guavas export-ready.During the packaging process, the guavas are separated by weight and inspected for quality control. To meet U.S. quarantine standards, the bags are not opened until the fruit is ready to be weighed and separated, after which the fruit is wrapped in new bags. After the guavas are boxed up, they are sent to the refrigerator to kill any insects that may be present. The U.S. requires that all fruit sent by ship be stored at 1 degree Celsius during shipping. With the fruit kept in refrigeration for 17 days, authorities can be sure any fruit flies present will be killed. To meet this requirement, the guavas are immediately refrigerated after separation, so that their temperature can be lowered gradually in a controlled manner. After the guavas are sent to the refrigerator, their temperature must be strictly regulated. Up to the moment the fruit arrives in the U.S., it must be kept at a low temperature. For Taiwan’s fruit exporters, one of the main challenges is that Taiwan’s produce doesn’t have much brand recognition overseas.Sun Chih-liTaiwan Institute of Economic ResearchThe fact that Taiwanese fruit is good is actually not well-known outside of the country. We have to establish an image of Taiwanese fruit being of exceptional quality. On the export front, I feel that’s the biggest, hardest breakthrough to make.People living in the temperate areas of Europe and the U.S. are unfamiliar with many varieties of tropical fruit. Chan Yi-yuanFruit exporterThe most obvious example is star fruit. Very few of them are sold overseas to begin with. Its ridges make it look a lot like a star when you cut it, so people overseas often use it to adorn the glass when making a cocktail. That looks really nice. How do you tell a foreign consumer that this is something you can eat and tha...
Taiwan is the nation of fruit, and the green-skinned guava is one of the most luscious delights it has to offer. Last fall, Taiwan signed an agreement with Washington to ship guavas to the U.S. For Taiwanese farmers, this new market presents promising opportunities for profit, as well as some newfound challenges. There are big regulatory hurdles associated with exporting to the U.S., and farmers will have to invest cash and time to get access. We pay a visit to guava growers and follow them on their journey to break new ground. Our Sunday special report. Kaohsiung’s Yanchao District is the guava capital of Taiwan. Today, fruit farmer Hsu Chiu-hsiang is taking us on a tour of her orchard to see how the fruit grows. In Taiwan, guavas can be harvested year-round, but the quality of the fruit is best in autumn. The right time to pick guavas from the tree is when they are 80% ripe. Hsu Chiu-hsiangGuava farmerOne bite of a Yanchao guava and you will always remember the taste. It’s a little bit sour and a little bit sweet.After guavas are picked and separated by weight, they are packed into cardboard boxes in preparation to be shipped to fruit and vegetable markets up north. As soon as the following day, customers will be able to buy the guavas from their local vendors.Hsu Chiu-hsiangGuava farmerCurrently one catty is going for about NT$50 or NT$60. When prices are bad, it goes for NT$10 or $20. Most of Taiwan’s guavas are sold on the domestic market. Exports account for 2% to 3% a year.Hsu Hui-feiAgriculture and Food AgencySingapore is the main market for Taiwan’s guava exports. Other markets include China and Hong Kong. To break into a new market, Taiwan’s government worked for 10 years to reach an agreement with the U.S. government. The deal, signed in last October, made Taiwan one of only two countries permitted to ship guavas to the U.S.Hsu Hui-feiAgriculture and Food AgencyThe export price of guavas will become a reference point for the domestic price. So this development could be helpful in driving up domestic prices.It took 10 years to reach an agreement with the U.S. due to concerns over insect infestation.Chou Hui-chuanInspection and quarantineWhat they most care about is the oriental fruit fly. It’s been around in Taiwan for a very long time. It is also a significant source of damage to fruit trees in Taiwan. There are many countries in which the oriental fruit fly does not exist.The oriental fruit fly makes a small hole in a piece of fruit, before injecting its eggs into it. After the eggs are laid, the fruit cannot be eaten. It can only be removed from the tree. Every day, Hsu Chiu-hsiang’s most important task is to make the rounds on the orchard to inspect the guavas. In the three weeks after flowers appear, she must ensure the fruit is bagged and covered in an additional layer of plastic to prevent fruit flies from piercing it. Another method of prevention at her disposal is to set traps for the flies. U.S. officials require not only that fruit is bagged, but that it is kept refrigerated. This technique is what makes the guavas export-ready.During the packaging process, the guavas are separated by weight and inspected for quality control. To meet U.S. quarantine standards, the bags are not opened until the fruit is ready to be weighed and separated, after which the fruit is wrapped in new bags. After the guavas are boxed up, they are sent to the refrigerator to kill any insects that may be present. The U.S. requires that all fruit sent by ship be stored at 1 degree Celsius during shipping. With the fruit kept in refrigeration for 17 days, authorities can be sure any fruit flies present will be killed. To meet this requirement, the guavas are immediately refrigerated after separation, so that their temperature can be lowered gradually in a controlled manner. After the guavas are sent to the refrigerator, their temperature must be strictly regulated. Up to the moment the fruit arrives in the U.S., it must be kept at a low temperature. For Taiwan’s fruit exporters, one of the main challenges is that Taiwan’s produce doesn’t have much brand recognition overseas.Sun Chih-liTaiwan Institute of Economic ResearchThe fact that Taiwanese fruit is good is actually not well-known outside of the country. We have to establish an image of Taiwanese fruit being of exceptional quality. On the export front, I feel that’s the biggest, hardest breakthrough to make.People living in the temperate areas of Europe and the U.S. are unfamiliar with many varieties of tropical fruit. Chan Yi-yuanFruit exporterThe most obvious example is star fruit. Very few of them are sold overseas to begin with. Its ridges make it look a lot like a star when you cut it, so people overseas often use it to adorn the glass when making a cocktail. That looks really nice. How do you tell a foreign consumer that this is something you can eat and tha...
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