Taiwan's premium mangoes wing their way to Europe for the first time
Taiwan's premium mangoes wing their way to Europe for the first time
reuters.com
Plump, juicy and fragrant, Taiwanese mangoes have long been a top draw for foodies, but traditionally those wanting to experience them have generally had to travel to the island.
Starting this year, however, the yellow and orange-coloured fruit will make its way to Europe, shipping first to France and Britain.
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Europe normally imports its mangoes from countries such as India and Pakistan, but David Chen, CEO of fruit export company Natural House Taiwan, said Taiwan's mangoes can easily win on flavour, which helps overcome their premium price.
Exporting mangoes "has really become extremely, extremely expensive," he told Reuters at a fruit packing facility in the central city of Taichung. "It turned out that even though the price was so high this year, people still bought them."
Taiwan may be better known for its dominance in making the advanced semiconductors used in applications as varied as smartphones and AI, but arguably it was agriculture that first made the island famous.
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Shipments [from Taiwan to the EU] had to comply with EU rules regarding, for instance, pesticide residue.
"In terms of fruit selection, and also in terms of field management, the EU is stricter than for the domestic market," [one Taiwanese supplier] said.
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The [Taiwanese] government has encouraged fruit farmers to expand export markets given political friction with China, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory.
President Lai Ching-te last month said China had "weaponised" fruit through import bans, which have targeted pineapples, custard apples and wax apples, as well as mangoes. China said such bans are for phytosanitary reasons.
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