Pitaya Wholesale Prices Plummet|批發價不敷成本 部分火龍果農棄收

Pitaya or dragon fruit has been named as the next fruit to experience plummeting prices. Chiayi County Magistrate Helen Chang says the current price is 70 percent of last year's price. She also urges farmers to give the Council of Agriculture time to remedy the situation. Meanwhile, a farmers' association in Pingtung County says the wholesale price has fallen to less than NT$30 per kilogram, and some farmers have decided not to harvest the fruit.


Several consecutive days of heavy rain made it impossible to harvest the pitayas inside this orchard. Farmers used a break in the rain to inspect their crops, and decided not to harvest them. At present, the wholesale pitaya price in Taipei is less than NT$21 per kilogram, meaning farmers won't earn very much even if they are able to sell the fruit.

The fruit needed to be harvested earlier, but was left until now. (It hasn't been harvested yet?) Yes, it is ripe but I haven't harvested it. Even if I harvest it, I won't be able to sell all of it. I'll sell half and give the other half away.

Some farmers have decided to just leave the fruit in the orchards. Others failed to properly care for their crops, and they did not grow well. Farmers began sensing the pitaya price would plummet as early as the end of last year. Many decided to switch to other crops after this year's harvest. Chiayi County Magistrate Helen Chang says prices are currently plummeting. She urges farmers to give the Council of Agriculture time to remedy the situation.

Online shops have fixed customer sources, so the prices are pretty good. The price is nearly NT$100 per kilogram.

Many farmers work hard to ensure the quality of their fruit and directly sell them to consumers, allowing them to sell them for around NT$100 per kilogram. The COA has already mobilized local agriculture officials to teach farmers how to reduce their outputs to ensure better prices.