Following the ban on Taiwanese pineapples in mainland China, exports of the fruit to Hong Kong in March surged 135 times compared to February. Just 13 tons of the fruit were shipped from Taiwan to Hong Kong in February, but after news of the mainland ban broke on March 1, shipments that month increased to 1,768 tons as Hong Kong surpassed Japan’s 1,719 tons to become the biggest importer of Taiwanese pineapples.
In total, 4,717 tons of the fruit were exported in March. Despite this sharp increase, the export of Taiwanese pineapples dropped 60% when compared to the same period last year.
The owner of Hong Kong retailer told Apple Daily that he imported 150 tons of Taiwanese pineapples in March but has noticed a drop in demand since then. He was also concerned about price changes in April — the peak season for the fruit — and thus ordered 70% less than in March.
The popularity of the pineapples in March was one-off, and a drop in demand was expected, he said. But he believed that there would still be interest in the fruit and that import figures in the next few months would be higher than those from last year.