US Washington Fuji apples are set to take over from Japanese and Korean product to become the star performer on Taiwan's Chinese New Year gift market, importers report.
A strong yen and radiation concerns following last year's nuclear disaster have dented demand for Japanese Fuji, causing imports to drop from around 2,000 containers per year in 2010 to some 800 containers.
Meanwhile, public concern over pesticide residues on South Korean apples following widespread media reports of cancer-causing chemicals, brought imports from this country to a virtual halt in November.
At the same time, a drop in import duties between October and December - from 20 per cent to 10 per cent – and growing acceptance of Washington's Aztec Fuji caused a surge in US apple imports.
Washington arrivals were up by 100 per cent by late November to around 29,400 tonnes over the prior-year period, importers told Fruitnet.
“Currently the talking point in the trade is what volume of Washington Fuji apples will be imported over the coming weeks,” said Steven Chu of Steven Chu & Associates, which represents several US commodity boards in Taiwan.
“Since Japan and South Korea have lost most of their market shares in the past two months, all importers are very active in importing Washington apples. We believe this situation won’t change much before the Chinese New Year, so Washington apples remain in a favourable position this season in the Taiwanese market.”
