Taiwan's climate is subtropical and tropical. Plants grow lushly and the island's people work hard. Conditions are favorable for agricultural development. Cultivated land is efficiently utilized and farm production is bountiful. In addition to rice and other grains, fruit also has become a major item in agricultural production. Taiwan's fruit ranks high, both in quality and variety. For export there are bananas, pineapples and oranges. Other fruits include mangoes, lichees, longans, papayas, grapes, watermelons, carambolas, pomelos, plums and cantaloups. In recent years pears and apples have been grown in the mountainous Lishan area. The experiment in growing these fruits of the temperate zone is quite successful.
According to the growers' estimates, exports of fruit for 1976 will include 84,800,000 kilograms of bananas, or 5,300,000 cases; 7,000,000 kg of pineapples, 700,000 cases; and 23,500,000 kg of oranges, 2,250,000 cases. The total earnings will total about US$35 million. Japan is the main export market, buying 95 per cent of the total. Hong Kong and Southeast Asian nations also are purchasers. The other kinds of fruit are mostly for the domestic market. The prospects for 1977 may even be better than this year's.
The government has emphasized the importance of quality, culturing technique, blight prevention and processing improvement in fruit production. Based on the conditions of product distribution, geographic environment and market demands, special production areas were established to grow pineapples, bananas, oranges, grapes, and other fruits for export. The ability to compete abroad was strengthened through contracts and planned production, quality improvement, strict inspection and the encouragement of joint management for sales. Under the six-year economic plan, the area for growing bananas in 1981 will total 17,054 hectares; for pineapples, 15,000 ha; for oranges, 44,977 ha; and for all other kinds of fruit, 54,660 ha. (A hectare is about 2.5 acres). The fruits will be grown in six production areas throughout Taiwan. By the end of the six-year period, the goal of specialization and large-scale management will be reached.
