China ban sours Taiwan's 'freedom pineapple' harvest
24 March, 2021
A Chinese ban on pineapple imports from Taiwan provides sparked a flood of patriotic buying of the fruit and forced eating places to create inventive new menu options, but it in addition has left various questioning Taipei's overwhelming financial reliance on its giant neighbour.
While a lot of the island's pineapple crop is consumed at home, 90 % of its overseas shipments mind accessible in the vast Chinese marketplace.
Even so, that leaves its farmers at the mercy of Beijing's authoritarian leaders, who view the democracy mainly because their personal territory and also have vowed to 1 day seize it, by force if needed.
And on Mar 1 they suddenly imposed a good ban on pineapples citing the discovery of pests, mailing panic among the fruit's farmers fearing for his or her livelihoods.
"This is a political concern that we farmers cannot resolve," lamented plantation owner Min Lee-ming, as dozens of staff rushed to pluck, trim and field up the fruits found in Taishan, a rural portion of southern Pingtung County regarded locally as "Pineapple Town".
"We just want to live a stable life and we have to pay the bills," he told AFP.
The ban led the federal government in Taipei to place out a demand solidarity - and the people of Taiwan responded.
Public media has filled up with calls for consumers to get pineapples while restaurants are coming up with ever more methods to add pineapple with their offers.
Among the meals choices now on offer are pineapple salmon pasta, pineapple seafood rolls, pineapple shrimp balls with red curry fried rice, pineapple chicken and bento boxes offering the fruit with meat.
"CANNON FODDER"
A government-declared objective of selling 20,000 extra tonnes of the fruit domestically achieved its target in only four times, helped by major native conglomerates who jumped about large orders to boost their profile.
Sunny Liao, a 53-year-older businesswoman, was among latest diners at a hotel in Taipei now offering about 20 pineapple-themed dishes and refreshments.
She said she really wants to see tensions lowered between Taiwan and Beijing and favours both sides talking however the latest move has left her furious.
"I guess all Taiwanese happen to be angry at the ban and I feel farmers have grown to be cannon fodder to be sacrificed," she told AFP.
The Taishan region sends around 70 % of its harvest over the Taiwan Strait and farmers are actually scrambling to find new market segments.
"We've depended too heavily on China," fretted Chen Yu-nung, 30, who runs a fruit product packaging factory. "We shouldn't have set all our eggs in one basket."
Taiwan's 23 million persons live under the continuous risk of invasion by China, which includes long used a mixture of carrot and adhere to bring about its stated aim of "reunification".
Relations have got considerably worsened because the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen who sights Taiwan as a good de facto sovereign nation, not portion of Beijing's "a single China".
But despite the increase in tensions, bilateral trade rose 13.5 % on-year to US$216 billion in 2020, including US$1 billion of develop, regarding to Taiwan's official data.
Taipei has rejected China's claims over pests found in the pineapple shipments, telling 99.8 per cent of imports recently had passed inspection.
"MANY PEOPLE ARE VERY NERVOUS"
The south, where the majority of Taiwan's pineapples are grown, may be the traditional heartland of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Get together.
Political figures were quick to liken the ban to hefty tariffs China positioned on selected Australian products, including wine, when relations between those several countries took a dive.
"Remember Australia's Freedom Wines?" tweeted foreign minister Joseph Wu. "I urge like-minded friends around the world to stand with Taiwan and rally behind the #FreedomPineapple."
Back Taishan, farmers state they have been delighted by the domestic get to get more pineapples.
However they caution against early on declarations of triumph given the harvest has only just begun.
"Next month is whenever we will find out if we have won or lost," said Min, the plantation owner. "Everyone is very nervous".
"I am worried the household buying spree won't previous when the harvest peaks the following month," added Lee Bai-wei, 28, saying half his crop would usually go to China.
Tseng Chin-yun, a 60-year-aged rice farmer, said she believed it was time for Taiwan to diversify where it markets its products to.
"We must be stronger and stand on our very own," she declared. "Taiwan can be an independent nation and we can't always count on others."
Scholar Hsu Ying-chih, 21, gets results part-time in the fruit product packaging factory and features seen shifts dry out the last fourteen days. But he will not believe Taiwan should cave to Chinese pressure.
"Taiwan is a nation and 'one China' is unacceptable," he said. "If we concede to be able to carry talks on agricultural concerns, they will push the envelope further in other areas."
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