In recent years, fruit export from Taiwan to China has grown rapidly. Taiwan’s exotic fruits are popular in China, particularly the country’s pineapples, bananas, mangoes and custard apples. Pineapples are one of the most popular export products. Taiwan pineapples are sweet, with brix levels reaching 17. The three most common varieties are the Diamond, Milk and Perfume pineapple. Diamond pineapples are the biggest export variety. It is available in the months March until June, which is earlier than the other two. The Milk pineapple is exported between July and august.
The Milk Pineapple is characterised by a light fragrance. It is not as sweet as the Perfume pineapple, which is the sweetest of the three with sugar levels up to 20 brix. The Perfume pineapple is available between July and August.
Increased production
The winter in Taiwan has been particularly cold and rainy. As a result, harvest of the Diamond pineapple has been postponed by one or two weeks. Pineapple cultivation, however, has considerably grown last year. This has made prices come down. In some region, prices came down so steeply that growers started to harvest the crop earlier than when ripe. As a result, part of the demand collapsed as the taste and quality of the pineapples were not optimal.
Informed consumers
Chinese consumers prefer sweet varieties. Aroma is also important. Regarding Diamond pineapples, Chinese consumers judge its quality based on its colour, which should be a bright yellow, and appearance. Consumers are also explained to examine the bottom of the fruit. If the bottom has a smooth service, that means the pineapple has been harvested with a knife. This is more hygienically than when harvested by hand, which will result in an uneven bottom.
In the past, some of the fruit suffered from bacterial heart rot, which results in black cores. This can occur during planting or because of too low storage temperatures. Consumers are also made aware of this by pointing out they should examine the fruit and check for weak or discoloured spots on the bottom.
Source: Fresh Plaza