TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Amid China's bans on Taiwan fruits, Japan has become the largest importer of Taiwan-grown fruit, according to Council of Agriculture (COA) data.

Prior to the ban, China was the destination for up to 80% of Taiwan's fruit exports. However, in March 2021, China imposed bans on Taiwan's pineapples, sugar apples, wax apples, citrus fruits, and other fruits. The COA quickly responded by exploring other channels, including Japan, which last year accounted for 46.2% of Taiwan's fruit exports, while China only accounted for 1.6%.

The structure of Taiwan's agricultural export market has shifted from China being the largest export market in the past to the U.S. and Japan. According to COA statistics, the value of Taiwan's agricultural product exports to Japan in 2022 reached US$850 million (NT$25.74 billion), an 11% increase over the previous year, while Japan has become the largest market for Taiwanese fruit exports.

The value of Taiwanese pineapples exported to Japan reached US$24.05 million in 2022, an increase of 5.8% over the previous year. Meanwhile, Japan imported 93 tons of pomelo, double the amount from the previous year.

Diced pineapples also began to be featured in Japanese supermarkets last year. To capture after-hours sales, the COA plans to offer Taiwanese fruits in Japan's vending machines.

Because Japanese supermarkets close at around 8 p.m., the COA plans to offer processed Taiwanese agricultural products such as frozen sugar apples in Japanese vending machines.

The COA's International Division said it has signed agreements with large local fruit and vegetable traders and distributors in Japan to distribute Taiwanese fruits. Among these, the COA said last month it signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese produce chain Wismettac Foods to import at least 3,500 tons of Taiwanese pineapples, 1,500 tons of bananas, and 100 tons of frozen pineapples.

According to the COA, the largest export market for Taiwan's agricultural products was the U.S. at US$4.65 billion, followed by Japan at US$1.049 billion. Taiwan's top three exports to Japan are tuna, edamame, and eel.

Meanwhile, Taiwan exported 600 tons of tea to Japan in 2022, an increase of 26% over the previous year. The most popular Taiwanese teas in Japan are Oolong and Baozhong tea.

Sales of Taiwan soybean oil and other vegetable oil products in Japan have also increased significantly to reach 12.38 tons.