The Fort Worth Press - Blooming hard: Taiwan's persimmon growers struggle

USD -
AED 3.673042
AFN 72.04561
ALL 90.426454
AMD 393.432155
ANG 1.790208
AOA 916.000367
ARS 1081.039361
AUD 1.654807
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.70397
BAM 1.784082
BBD 2.031653
BDT 122.253136
BGN 1.786375
BHD 0.376648
BIF 2990.649943
BMD 1
BND 1.345222
BOB 6.952794
BRL 5.844604
BSD 1.006157
BTN 85.842645
BWP 14.014139
BYN 3.292862
BYR 19600
BZD 2.021163
CAD 1.42275
CDF 2873.000362
CHF 0.861746
CLF 0.0249
CLP 955.539339
CNY 7.28155
CNH 7.295041
COP 4181.710376
CRC 509.007982
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 100.583808
CZK 23.045604
DJF 179.18358
DKK 6.808204
DOP 63.5439
DZD 133.249715
EGP 50.555986
ERN 15
ETB 132.622212
EUR 0.91245
FJD 2.314904
FKP 0.774531
GBP 0.776488
GEL 2.750391
GGP 0.774531
GHS 15.453612
GIP 0.774531
GMD 71.461814
GNF 8669.802009
GTQ 7.716149
GYD 210.168965
HKD 7.774655
HNL 25.661585
HRK 6.871704
HTG 132.890785
HUF 370.408231
IDR 16571.70415
ILS 3.741565
IMP 0.774531
INR 85.511582
IQD 1310.012402
IRR 42003.703205
ISK 132.195716
JEP 0.774531
JMD 157.257424
JOD 0.70904
JPY 146.96104
KES 129.458675
KGS 86.768703
KHR 3997.413216
KMF 448.929755
KPW 900.000008
KRW 1460.898192
KWD 0.308471
KYD 0.820003
KZT 508.402314
LAK 21614.631408
LBP 90013.256713
LKR 295.427831
LRD 199.87708
LSL 19.106655
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.833883
MAD 9.545567
MDL 17.570983
MGA 4650.986319
MKD 56.074316
MMK 2099.341751
MNT 3508.091945
MOP 8.007849
MRU 39.895403
MUR 44.572925
MVR 15.45336
MWK 1733.408678
MXN 20.42675
MYR 4.436766
MZN 63.569588
NAD 19.106655
NGN 1529.710967
NIO 36.648194
NOK 10.75864
NPR 136.882666
NZD 1.786368
OMR 0.384998
PAB 1
PEN 3.678016
PGK 4.09838
PHP 57.406582
PKR 280.349118
PLN 3.894301
PYG 8051.312968
QAR 3.640374
RON 4.543573
RSD 106.910099
RUB 84.408708
RWF 1410.456645
SAR 3.750373
SBD 8.499799
SCR 14.808814
SDG 599.188018
SEK 9.989435
SGD 1.345976
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.750371
SLL 20969.501083
SOS 569.536574
SRD 36.504913
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.75037
SYP 13001.836564
SZL 19.106655
THB 34.316411
TJS 10.845699
TMT 3.49741
TND 3.056623
TOP 2.404411
TRY 37.99602
TTD 6.731512
TWD 33.207637
TZS 2665.220063
UAH 41.465337
UGX 3656.581024
UYU 42.25152
UZS 12934.705202
VES 70.624618
VND 25785.448419
VUV 122.117516
WST 2.799576
XAF 598.573006
XAG 0.033794
XAU 0.000329
XCD 2.700132
XDR 0.746748
XOF 598.573006
XPF 108.892442
YER 245.542765
ZAR 19.097504
ZMK 9001.203587
ZMW 27.907397
ZWL 321.999592
  • RIO

    -3.7600

    54.67

    -6.88%

  • CMSC

    0.0300

    22.29

    +0.13%

  • NGG

    -3.4600

    65.93

    -5.25%

  • RBGPF

    69.0200

    69.02

    +100%

  • RELX

    -3.2800

    48.16

    -6.81%

  • RYCEF

    -1.5500

    8.25

    -18.79%

  • BTI

    -2.0600

    39.86

    -5.17%

  • GSK

    -2.4800

    36.53

    -6.79%

  • VOD

    -0.8700

    8.5

    -10.24%

  • BCC

    0.8100

    95.44

    +0.85%

  • SCS

    -0.0600

    10.68

    -0.56%

  • AZN

    -5.4600

    68.46

    -7.98%

  • CMSD

    0.1600

    22.83

    +0.7%

  • JRI

    -0.8600

    11.96

    -7.19%

  • BP

    -2.9600

    28.38

    -10.43%

  • BCE

    0.0500

    22.71

    +0.22%

Blooming hard: Taiwan's persimmon growers struggle
Blooming hard: Taiwan's persimmon growers struggle / Photo: © AFP

Blooming hard: Taiwan's persimmon growers struggle

Taiwanese persimmon farmer Lo Chih-neng stands on a ladder in his sprawling orchard using secateurs to cut the golden-yellow fruit still hanging from branches after enduring a tough season.

Text size:

Persimmons are popular in Taiwan where people travel hours to buy bags and boxes of the sweet dried fruit to take home to their families or give away to friends.

But changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry, forcing some farmers to look at alternative ways to maximise returns -- or get out altogether.

Lo's harvest was down by more than a third in 2024, Taiwan's hottest year on record, after some of his trees failed to bloom and two typhoons in October stripped many of their leaves and fruit.

"The yield has dropped by quite a lot, at least a third or more," Lo, 65, told AFP on his farm where persimmon trees carpet a valley in Dongshi district, in the central west of the island.

"The losses have been severe, and it's mostly due to the typhoons," said Lo, who expects to lose Nt$1 million ($30,000) from his takings on this year's crop.

Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said Tuesday that 2024 was the hottest year since records began 127 years ago, echoing unprecedented temperature highs felt around the world.

- Climate hardship -

Taiwan's annual persimmon harvest declined for the second year in a row in 2023 to around 59,000 tonnes.

It is expected to be more than 13 percent lower in 2024, figures from the Agriculture and Food Agency show.

The land area used for growing the fruit has shrunk to 4,700 hectares (11,600 acres) from more than 5,300 hectares a decade ago, and the number of persimmon farmers has also fallen, Su Tang-chao, director of the agency's fruit and flower division, told AFP.

"In recent years, we have observed changes in production areas and fluctuations in yield and quality due to broader environmental changes, such as climate change and global warming," Su said.

Fresh persimmons are harvested from September to December, with most of the fruit sent to Hsinchu county, south of Taipei, to be dried.

Nearly all of the fruit harvested every year is consumed in Taiwan.

Lo's harvest is put into plastic crates, loaded into the back of a truck and taken to Weiweijia persimmon orchard where Lu Li-chien's family has been growing and drying the fruit for more than a century.

Tourists flock to Lu's farm to pose for photos among outdoor circular racks of fruit that shrivel and darken as they dry in the sun and wind -- a traditional method used by Taiwan's ethnic Hakka community.

Normally, fresh persimmons arrive at the Weiweijia farm every day, but Lu said this year's harvest has been "extremely low" and deliveries have been every two days.

"Compared to previous years, we only have about 20 percent of the usual supply," Lu, 68, told AFP.

"When I ask the farmers about the cause, they said the trees are not blooming properly, the flowers aren't opening up as they should."

Lu blames "climate abnormalities", with the production problems worsened by ageing growers whose children have no interest in taking over the family orchard.

"We've never encountered such a situation," he said of the poor harvest.

To maximise earnings, Lu's workers collect persimmon peels and turn them into dye. There are also plans afoot to make skincare products.

Lo, who has a teenage daughter, said he hopes to pass his farm to his nephew in the next few years -- if he is up to the challenge.

"I told him, 'If you're afraid of hardship, you won't be able to do this'," Lo said. "It gets really hot sometimes, and other times, it's very cold."

P.McDonald--TFWP