The Chinese Communist Party is said to have banned the import of pineapples from Taiwan for political reasons, and supporters inside and outside Taiwan are competing to buy Taiwan-made pineapples.

A chef at a restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan, makes pineapple beef noodles. (March 10, 2021)

Taiwanese consumers and overseas sympathizers went on a buying spree this month to support Taiwan’s pineapple farmers, who have been hit by a surprise import ban by Taiwan’s political rival, China, and face a $50 million loss of business.

China’s General Administration of Customs announced the ban last month, saying “quarantine pests” had been found in several shipments of pineapples from Taiwan last year.

Taiwanese consumers suspect China is using its economic power to warn their leaders about political issues. China views the self-governing island as part of its territory, but Taiwanese said in a 2019 government survey that they prefer autonomy.

Domestic sales are booming

By this week, a social media campaign and supermarket promotions in the Taipei area had given pineapples a new “off the shelf” deadline. In honor of Taiwan’s democracy, some outlets even advertised the fruit as a “free pineapple” in contrast to China’s political system, while others posted 1-meter-high banners that read “domestically produced goods – selling like hotcakes. “.

David Tsai, 55, of Taipei, bought pineapples for $2.80 each at an open-air market in Taipei on Wednesday. He usually buys two or three a week, but plans to buy two more a week in March. He suspects China’s ban is entirely politically motivated.

“This is a normal price now, it’s not particularly cheap, so this purchase is to show support,” said David Cai, who trades.

He said, “I don’t think Communist China’s ban on pineapple imports is fair.”

Overseas consumption

Cumulatively so far this year, Japanese traders have pledged to accept a record 6,200 tons of Taiwanese pineapples so far this year to help offset the loss of exports to mainland China, according to Taipei media reports.

Canadian and U.S. officials are using the Internet this month to urge consumption of Taiwanese pineapples. Jordan Reeves, head of the Canadian trade office in Taipei, posted a photo on social media of himself and a colleague gathered around a pineapple pizza. And the de facto U.S. Embassy in Taiwan posted photos on Facebook of pineapples all over their Taipei office.

All three countries have their own disputes with China.

Su Xiang, an independent political consultant in Taipei, told Voice of America on Thursday (March 18), “The fact that in just a few days Taiwan was able to diversify its market and generate buying demand elsewhere is a clear indication that China needs to rethink its long-term strategy before it uses trade as a weapon.”

Last year, Taiwanese exporters exported $49.9 million worth of fresh or frozen pineapples to China, according to Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture. Taiwanese fruit is known for its high quality among Chinese consumers. Taiwan exports only 10 percent of its pineapples, but 95 percent of them all go to China.