台灣菠蘿 - 隨著新買家的入市, 中國的菠蘿禁令適得其反

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China’s Ban on Taiwan Pineapples Backfires as New Buyers Step In

Betty Hou

Fri., August 6, 2021, 3:00 a.m.

(Bloomberg) -- China’s surprise ban on pineapple imports from Taiwan five months ago was widely viewed as an attempt to undermine President Tsai Ing-wen’s standing with a political constituency. Trade data show the move has produced anything but the desired effect.

First-half numbers collected by Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture show growers of the fruit on the island have fared better since China blocked imports starting March 1, as sympathetic Japanese shoppers stepped in to provide support. Shipments to Japan surged more than eightfold to 16,556 tons in the four months through June from a year ago. A domestic campaign to drum up demand also helped.

The helping hand from Japanese importers has come as a pleasant surprise for Taiwan’s rattled farmers who were bracing for a plunge in prices following the move by China, which termed it as a normal precaution to protect biosecurity. The spiky fruit is among a long list of products from Australian wine to coal and lobster China has targeted for sanctions to help gain leverage in trade disputes.

 “The bleeding was stopped before it even began,” said Chen Li-i, an official at the Council of Agriculture in Taipei.

Japan has now replaced China as the major overseas destination for Taiwan’s pineapples. While it’s unclear how long the ban will last -- the shift may well reverse once the restrictions are lifted -- the humble tropical fruit has become an unlikely symbol of defiance in the region’s geopolitical intrigues. Amid all the sabre-rattling by Beijing, Japan and the island democracy have expressed a broad desire to forge closer ties. Leaders in Tokyo see their own security directly linked to that of Taiwan, which China asserts is its territory.

Pineapples are an important source of income for farmers in central and southern Taiwan. Around 11% of the tropical fruit harvested in Taiwan are sold overseas. Until the ban, they were almost entirely shipped to China.

“Export orders are looking unexpectedly good,” said Chiao Chun, chief executive officer of Harvest Consultancy Co. in Taipei. “This really was a crisis turned into an opportunity.”

Besides the help from Japan, an increase in domestic demand fueled by a “save the farmers” campaign on social media rallied local shoppers in support of growers. Even President Tsai pitched in a day after China’s ban took effect.

Farmers also received passionate backing from local businesses. Restaurants across the island rushed in to add a pineapple-infused sweet twist to all sorts of dishes ranging from shrimp balls, fried rice and even the classic beef noodle soup. Taiwan Railways Administration introduced special edition lunch boxes with pineapples as one of the side dishes.

As a result, domestic prices of the fruit jumped 28% to an average NT$22.1 (80 cents) per kilogram in the March-June period, a three-year high. The total value of the pineapples sold locally rose 17%, according to data provided by the farm council’s Chen.

“Higher prices driven by strong domestic demand led to more profit for the farmers,” Chen said.

One key question is whether the uptick in overseas demand is sustainable. Exporters cite concerns over Japan’s stringent quality requirements and consumer preferences for smaller, less-sweet varieties than the pineapples typically grown in Taiwan.

But the Chinese ban leaves Taiwan with little choice but to review its export markets for the fruit, according to Young Fu-fan, a grower in the southern county of Tainan.

 “Farmers can’t expect to make ‘easy money’ from China anymore,” he said.

Translation

（彭博社）- 五個月前，中國出人意料地禁止從台灣進口菠蘿，這被廣泛認為是企圖削弱蔡英文總統在政治選區中的地位。但貿易數據顯示，此舉並未產生預期效果。

台灣農業委員會收集的上半年數據顯示，自從中國從 3 月 1 日開始禁止進口以來，島上的水果種植者表現更好，因為有同情心的日本購物者介入提供支持。在截至 6 月的四個月中，對日本的出貨量比去年同期增長了八倍多，達到 16,556 噸。國內發起的提振需求運動也起到了幫助作用。

日本進口商的幫助, 令台灣農民感到一個驚喜，他們在中國採取行動後已準備應對價格暴跌。中國稱這是保護生物安全的正常預防措施。菠蘿這種帶刺的水果, 只是數從澳大利亞葡萄酒到煤炭和龍蝦的一連串產品項目之一。中國已將其作為製裁目標，以幫助在貿易爭端中獲得優勢。

台北市農業委員會官員陳立儀(Chen Li-i) 說：“出血還沒開始就止住了” 。

日本現已取代中國成為台灣菠蘿的主要海外目的地。雖然目前尚不清楚禁令將持續多久 - 一旦取消限制，這種轉變很可能會逆轉 。這種不起眼的熱帶水果已成為該地區地緣政治計謀中一個冷門的反抗象徵。在北京展示武力威脅之下，日本和台灣民主島民都表達了建立更緊密聯繫的廣泛願望。東京領導人認為自己的安全與台灣的安全直接相關，中國聲稱台灣是其領土。

菠蘿是台灣中南部農民的重要收入來源。台灣收穫這熱帶水果約有11%銷往海外。在禁令頒布之前，它們幾乎全部運往中國。

黍離策略顧問股份有限公司(Harvest Consultancy Co.) 台北首席執行官焦鈞 (Chiao Chun) 說: “出口訂單看起來出乎意料地好”; “這真的是一場危機變成了機遇” 。

除了來自日本的幫助外，社交媒體上的“拯救農民”運動, 推動了本地需求的增長，也吸引了當地購物者支持種植者。在中國禁令生效後的第二天，就連蔡總統也加入幫忙。

農民們也得到了當地企業的熱情支持。島上的餐廳紛紛湧入，在蝦丸、炒飯甚至傳統的牛肉麵湯等各種菜餚中加入了菠蘿的甜蜜味。台灣鐵路局亦推出了以菠蘿為配菜的特別版飯盒。

因此，3 月至 6 月期間，該水果的國內價格上漲 28%，至每公斤平均新台幣 22.1 元（80 美分），創三年新高。根據農場委員會的陳立儀提供的數據，當地銷售的菠蘿總價值增長了 17%。

陳說:“強勁的內需推動價格上漲，為農民帶來了更多利潤”。

一個關鍵問題是海外需求的增長是否可持續。 出口商表示擔心日本嚴格的質量要求, 和消費者更喜歡相比通常台灣所種植的更小、更不甜的菠蘿品種。

但台南縣南部的種植者Young Fu-fan表示，中國的禁令讓台灣別無選擇，只能重新評估其水果出口市場。

他說:“農民不能再指望從中國賺‘輕鬆錢’ 了”。

       So, even the sympathetic Japanese shoppers stepped in to provide support to the Taiwan’s pineapple growers in face of China’s coercion. Some information on how Japanese help the pineapple sales in Japan can be found at Liberty Times Net (https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/3629174)

A Japanese politician shows support (Source : LTN)

Pineapples on sale in a supermarket in Japan (source: LTN)