Taiwan has issued a stern warning to its farmers regarding Beijing’s plan to increase imports of atemoyas, a local speciality fruit, amid fears of economic coercion.
The atemoya, a hybrid of different custard apple species featuring a scaly green exterior and creamy white flesh, is a signature crop of Taiwan’s Taitung County. While China, a major importer of the fruit, pledged to increase its purchases earlier this month, Taiwan’s agriculture ministry has characterised the move as a “classic example of China’s ‘raise, trap, kill’ process”, reports BBC.
In a press release issued on Saturday, the ministry claimed that Beijing deliberately creates market reliance before leaving farmers vulnerable to sudden shifts. Observers note that China has frequently used fruit as a non-military weapon to pressure the self-governed island, which Beijing claims as its own territory.
The warning follows a history of trade disruptions. In 2021, China banned Taiwanese pineapples, a move that triggered a domestic “freedom pineapple” consumption movement to counter economic pressure. Similarly, China suspended atemoya imports in 2021, citing pest concerns, before partially resuming them in 2023 and subsequently imposing taxes on the fruit in 2024.
According to the agriculture ministry, these unilateral restrictions “cause the industry to face huge instability and farmers to bear great risks”. The ministry further noted that China is expanding its own atemoya cultivation, posing a long-term threat to Taiwan’s local industry.
The current debate was sparked by a forum in the Chinese coastal city of Xiamen, where Chinese companies pledged to expand purchases of Taiwanese exports, including tea, fish, and atemoyas. The event was attended by Taiwanese business leaders and opposition politicians, despite an official ban on participation by the central government.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council spokesperson has warned that officials who attended the forum could face investigation. In response, the agriculture ministry stated it would focus on “sustainable agricultural development” by guiding the industry toward “diversified processing,” such as the production of frozen fruit, purees, and wines.
However, the warnings met with internal political resistance. Lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang party have accused the government of “politicising” the industry. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan criticised the Mainland Affairs Council for “bullying and oppressing” farmers, describing the atemoya as the “TSMC of the fruit world”.
“There is not a country in the world that can produce some fruit as delicious and special as Taiwan’s atemoya,” Mayor Chiang told reporters on Saturday.
