Escalating tensions between Taiwan and China now spilling into agriculture. Focus on atemoya,native to Taiwan's Taitung county. Taiwan's agriculture ministry warns China's recent move to boost imports of this custard apple hybrid could mask unfriendly intentions.
Earlier this month,Chinese officials announced plans to increase atemoya purchases,raising eyebrows in Taipei. Taiwan's agriculture ministry calls it a "classic example of China's 'raise,trap,kill' strategy," suggesting reliance on Chinese markets is fostered only to leave farmers exposed to sudden market shifts.
China's claims over Taiwan,which it sees as a breakaway province,have intensified. More military drills,simulated blockades. Economic tactics,including fruit imports,may be part of broader strategy to exert influence over Taiwan .
In 2021,China banned Taiwanese pineapple imports,crippling local farmers and sparking a domestic push for local support. Observers fear atemoyas could face same fate. China had previously halted atemoya imports citing pest issues in 2021,partially resumed in 2023,then new taxes set for 2024.
Such actions have destabilized the atemoya market,leaving farmers at risk. Ministry noted China's own atemoya cultivation expansion threatens Taiwan's agriculture .
Discussion on atemoya exports grew after a forum in Xiamen,China,where Chinese companies showed interest in more Taiwanese agricultural products,including fish and tea. Despite Taiwan's central government ban, business leaders,opposition politicians attended.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council warned forum participants may face investigations. Agriculture ministry committed to sustainable practices,stable farmer incomes. Plans to diversify atemoya industry into frozen products,purees.
Opposition lawmakers from Kuomintang party criticized warnings,arguing they politicize the atemoya industry,harming farmers. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an accused Mainland Affairs Council of "bullying" farmers,calling atemoya the "TSMC of the fruit world," a nod to Taiwan's famed semiconductor industry.
He claimed,"No country in world can produce fruit as delicious,unique as Taiwan's atemoya,"highlighting its significance to Taiwan's agricultural identity. As tensions simmer,atemoya's fate may become focal point in broader Taiwan-China relations…
