Taitung resumes exports of custard apples to China

Taipei, Dec. 5 (CNA) The first batch of Taitung-grown custard apples is being shipped to China following the end of a Chinese import suspension lasting more than two years, Taitung County Magistrate Yao Ching-ling (饒慶鈴) said Tuesday. Beijing halted imports of custard apples from Taiwan in September 2021, citing the detection of mealy bugs in the fruit, but the ban was lifted in June this year when the Chinese government approved the registration of 25 orchards and three packing plants, all of which are based in Taitung for exports to the mainland. According to media reports, the first shipment of atemoyas -- a hybrid variety of custard apples -- arrived at Kaohsiung Port Tuesday before being shipped to China later that day. It was set to arrive in Pingtan, Fujian on Thursday before being sold in Jiangnan Market, Guangzhou City, Guangdong. Yao confirmed the reports, saying the growing of atemoyas is a pillar of Taitung's economy, with the export value of the fruit reaching nearly ...