Banana exports from Taiwan rising year by year ahead of Tokyo 2020
Agriculture and Food Agency indicates that Taiwan has over a hundred years of experience in exporting bananas to Japan. Countries in temperate climate zones grow bananas as well, but Taiwan’s geological location around the tropic of cancer—the most northern region that can grow bananas economically—exposes banana seedlings to greater intraday temperature variations. That condition prolonged the growth period from seven to eight months in tropical regions to 12 months and gives banana fruits more time to accumulate nutrients, endowing Taiwanese bananas with a stronger aroma, delicate texture, and sweeter taste (the trio of aromatic, springy, and sweet). For many elderly Japanese, those were the only banana they knew of, and such delicacies were so valuable that they were often reserved for illness, sporting events, or field trips. However, with low-price offerings from the Philippines and Central and South America entering Japan in the 70s and 80s, Taiwanese bananas were crowded out, and younger generations in Japan had no affection for the fruits. Only until Director-General Hu was dispatched to Japan in 2016, when he undertook projects to promote Taiwanese bananas among Japanese children, the fruits started taking root in the heart of young Japanese once again. Since 2016, the yearly banana export from Taiwan to Japan grew by 132% from 1,585 metric tons to an impressive 3,691 metric tons last year (2020).
To complement Japan’s effort in hosting the Olympic Games, the AFA has been pushing for an upgrade of the Banana TGAP (Taiwan Good Agriculture Practice)—namely Banana TGAP PLUS. Exporting orchards are being guided to meet TGAP PLUS and subsequently qualify as ingredients for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Village. This year the bananas used for school lunch in Kasama City meet the same enhanced standards. As said by the Mayor of Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan—Shinju Yamaguchi (山口伸樹) from the other side of the ocean: “Taiwanese bananas supplied to primary and secondary students in Kasama City have assurance in quality and handling by being certified to TGAP PLUS and meet the standards stipulated for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Village. I couldn’t be happier to see our school children enjoy Taiwanese bananas with a strong aroma, unique stickiness, and high sweetness”.
On the final note, the AFA points out that Taiwan has a unique environment to grow bananas that have a delicate texture, thick aroma, and great taste all year round, and bananas have thus become an everyday diet of Taiwanese people and are loved by both home crowds and foreign visitors. Due to the recent pandemic outbreak, people had less chance to go out for grocery shopping, and as a couping measure, the AFA specifically guided farmer groups to mix up their produce into produce boxes, with fresh in-season bananas as an important component. For those of you interested, go visit the AFA website (navigate through tab Headline News (新聞最前線)>Latest Updates (最新消息)> Super Convenient! Produce Boxes Delivered Right to Your Doorstep!! (超方便!宅在家也可買到優質蔬果箱喔!!)) to look for fresh ingredients and achieve a healthy lifestyle.
