The first shipment for 2020 of Taiwan-grown lychees and mangoes touched down May 26 in Japan, according to the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture.
 
Comprising 20 metric tons of Yuherbau lychees and 10 metric tons of Irwin mangoes, the shipment was sourced from five suppliers. The former is a signature crop of Dashu District in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City, while the latter is cultivated throughout Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan’s Tainan City and southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung County.
 
The shipment was organized by the COA in conjunction with Taiwan Vegetables and Fruits Exporters Association using the charter services of China Airlines headquartered in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City.
 
According to the COA, coronavirus—first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year—has reduced international flight numbers and air cargo volume. The drop-off is impacting Taiwan’s agricultural exports and leaving consumers in Japan without access to the much-loved lychees and mangoes the council said.
 
Under the COA, TVFEA and CAL arrangement, the fruit will wing its way to Japan twice weekly until the end of June. The measure is expected to some way toward improving the bottom line of the agricultural sector in the near term.
 
COA statistics reveal Taiwan exported 99 metric tons of lychees worth NT$30 million (US$1 million) and 657 metric tons of mangoes worth NT$160 million to Japan last year. (TYT-E)
 
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw