The first shipment of Taiwanese guavas to the United States set out from Nanxi District in Tainan on Friday, following the signing of an export agreement by the two countries in October.
Approximately ten metric tons of the fruit will be transported by sea to the American West Coast, where they are expected to hit the shelves in the coming weeks.
The two sides commemorated the event at a press conference at Wei Mart Produce’s export packaging plant, with Council of Agriculture (COA) deputy chief Chen Chun-chi (陳駿季), Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) and American Institute in Taiwan Kaohsiung Branch chief Matthew O’Connor in attendance.
In a press release, the COA noted that through November, Taiwan had exported 4,687 metric tons of guavas worth US$6.77 million in 2019.
Canada was the top destination for Taiwanese guavas, accounting for 57 percent of total exports, the COA said.
According to COA statistics, Taiwan’s guava exports in 2018 were valued at USD 5.12 million — a figure dwarfed by other fruit varieties including pineapples (USD 43.08 million), sugar apples (USD 32.41 million) and mangoes (USD 17.36 million).
Source: Chang Jung-hsiang and Matthew Mazzetta, Focus Taiwan