Taiwan pineapples greenlighted for Australia import

2020/03/04

Taiwan-grown pineapples are heading for food stores across Australia after receiving an import license, according to the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture March 2, spotlighting government efforts to open new markets around the world for the country’s agricultural produce.
 
 Coming on the back of a five-year application process, the decision owes much to best practices implemented on the advice of visiting Australian experts in 2017, the COA said.
 These include removing the crown of the fruits and putting them through a rigorous two-hour disinfection process, as well as ensuring all products have full place of origin traceability.
 
 Taiwan’s total pineapple production capacity tops 430,000 metric tons annually thanks to the country’s warm climate and fertile soil, which provide ideal conditions for the spiked fruit, according to the COA.
 
 Pineapple exports are on the rise, the COA said, adding that overseas markets received more than 50,000 metric tons from Taiwan in 2019 worth US$60 million, making them the country’s top-selling fruit abroad.
 
 To date, export agreements for Taiwan-cultivated pineapples have been clinched with Australia, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, China, Guam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, the Netherlands, Palau, Russia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)