Taipei: Despite their limited production, Taiwanese kiwifruits have a sweetness and delicate texture that comes from being harvested closer to ripeness than their imported counterparts, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Monday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the MOA’s Miaoli District Agricultural Research and Extension Station highlighted in a news release that locally-grown kiwis begin their season in mid-September. However, they often sell out quickly due to their limited availability. In Taiwan, kiwifruits must be cultivated at altitudes of at least 1,000 meters in mountainous regions such as Miaoli’s Dahu Township, Hsinchu’s Jianshi Township, and Taichung’s Lishan.

The statement also noted that due to the cool climate in which these kiwifruits grow, many farmers choose to use minimal or no pesticides or fertilizers on their vines. The agricultural office explained that Taiwan’s kiwis are harvested when they are 90 percent or even fully ripe, unlike imported kiwis, which are picked at 70-80 percent ripeness to accommodate shipping times.

This later harvest results in Taiwan’s kiwis having a higher sugar content, which makes them sweeter, and contributes to a more delicate texture and balanced sweet-sour flavor. However, because of varying local harvesting times and shipping practices, Taiwanese kiwis may sometimes be slightly hard when they reach the market.

The office suggested that in such instances, kiwis can be placed in a paper bag with bananas or other fruits that release ethylene to speed up the ripening process. Generally, these fruits will ripen completely within one to three days, after which they can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two weeks.

MOA statistics revealed that Taiwan produced 133 metric tons of kiwi last year while importing 30,000 metric tons, primarily from New Zealand, but also from Italy, China, the United States, France, and Japan. Despite their higher price, Taiwan-grown kiwis remain more expensive than imports due to their limited supply. Chung Kuo-hsiung, deputy head of the Miaoli agricultural extension office, indicated that efforts are underway to expand production.