The production season of custard apples produced in Taiwan starts in November. It is reported that due to two strong typhoons during the growing period, a large number of fruits dropped, and the appearance of many fruits was damaged, resulting in the output being halved this year, and the number of A-grade fruits that meet export standards was also reduced.
"Affected by the typhoon, there are fewer custard apples on the market in the early season." Custard apples are one of the main products of Fruit Paradise Trading Co. Ltd., said Rock Yen, the manager. "The typhoon reduces the number of fruits and the nutrients absorbed by the fruits are more concentrated. Therefore, this year's custard apples are larger than before and the weight of the single fruit increases."
"Although the production volume has been halved, due to the limited market capacity in Taiwan, many fruits have damaged appearance and the price is not good, so the selling price in Taiwan is not much different from before. We need to open up more markets to find better prices.”
According to Rock, the company exported a small amount of custard apples to Malaysia last month, which was welcomed by the local high-end market: "We directly supply local high-end supermarkets. Because the volume is small and this batch arrived by air, the price is higher. In the cooperative supermarkets, many customers learned about custard apples for the first time and were happy to buy them after tasting them. The Brix of custard apples produced in Taiwan can be as high as 25-26, which is in line with the preferences of local consumers. The next batch of arrivals will focus on the market for Christmas."
Talking about the next market opportunities for custard apples, Rock said: "Malaysian has a majority of Chinese people, and shipping containers of custard apples will arrive at the market during the Spring Festival to meet this important sales window; the Indonesian market is dominated by sea transportation, and local consumption power is limited and the shipment of custard apples is slow, but sales will continue. In addition, Taiwanese custard apple has been re-approved to enter the mainland China market this year. This is a market opportunity that we are very much looking forward to, and we are now waiting for more details to be announced."
"If the weather is stable, it is expected that the production will increase from January to February next year, and the volume supplied for export will also increase accordingly. In addition to serving the above key markets, we also hope to develop in Southeast Asia, North America and other markets.”
Fruit Paradise Trading Co. Ltd covers planting and export sales. The fruits it sells include custard apples, Aiwen mangoes, golden pineapples, pomelos, grapefruits, and dates. The brand names are "Xiong Fa" and "Quan Wang".