Taiwan's banana-producing regions and the Japanese market

Abstract

Taiwan's banana industry developed during the period of Japanese occupation, and Taiwan bananas monopolized the Japanese market until banana importation was liberalized in 1963. This paper examines the development of Taiwan's banana-producing regions by highlighting the relationship between Taiwan bananas and the Japanese market and the change in banana-producing regions of Taiwan following the end of World War II. Before Japan colonized Taiwan in 1895, bananas were a subsistence crop mainly in northern Taiwan. However, during the colonial period, a commercial banana-producing region was formed in central Taiwan around Jiji. After World War II, while the colonial banana network was maintained, the production center moved southward to Chishan town, where bananas are mainly grown for the Japanese market. Both banana-producing regions are now facing such problems as the aging of farmers, shortage of successors, crop diseases, and typhoon damage. Besides, a price competition war in the Japanese market forces Taiwan growers to raise their competitiveness. By joining WTO, further reorganization of banana-producing regions is expected in Taiwan.