FEATURE/Taiwanese expat takes pride in growing food for compatriots in U.S.

Los Angles, Oct. 8 (CNA) When builder and developer Liao Ta-sheng (廖大盛) moved to the United States 30 years ago, he never dreamed that he would also see a migration of his career.

Liao, 70, said he started out as a builder and took up farming as a hobby in the U.S., but he ran into many difficulties in the construction sector, including unfamiliar regulations and the language barrier.

That prompted him to try farming full time, and despite many hardships and failures over the past 25 years, he is now producing a variety of food crops that are being snapped up by Taiwanese expats who welcome a taste of home.

"Serving my fellow countrymen has been my greatest pleasure," said Liao in a recent interview with CNA. He now has two farms on his property in Hawaiian Gardens, California.

While the U.S. has a strong agricultural sector, it is not easy to find Taiwanese fruits and vegetables here, according to Liao.

In a bid to tap into that niche market, he said, he started out by planting wax apple trees.

As a complete novice, Liao said, he took a while to learn how to grow the wax apple species, also known as bell apples, which typically thrives on well-drained and fertile soil in a tropical and humid climate at temperatures ranging between 25-30 degrees Celsius.

The weather in Southern California is just too dry for them, he explained.

Liao said he tried to adopt Taiwan's agriculture technology, bringing different plant species to the U.S., and sought to gain expertise in the field by doing the work.

To achieve that goal, however, he had to return to Taiwan to consult with agricultural experts, as he was facing challenges associated with different weather patterns and soil types.

Today, he has two organic farms on which he grows fruits and vegetables commonly found in Taiwan, supported by the technical knowledge he has amassed to nurture the crops though every stage, from sowing to pruning and reaping, he said.

The work, he said, reflects his unbreakable attachment to Taiwan.

On one side of his 182-square-meter fruit farm, there are 400 dragon fruit trees of 11 varieties in a 150-square-meter area, while on the other side he grows wax apples, papayas, guavas, grapes and green dates.

Adjacent to that is his vegetable farm, where he cultivates popular Taiwan vegetables such as gracilaria, edible amaranth, sweet potato leaves, leeks, lima beans, and crown daisies.

Liao said his fruits and vegetables are not distributed through local markets, but rather sold online through powerful word-of-mouth marketing among Taiwanese expats.

Looking back, Liao said, he has no regrets and takes pride in what he has achieved.

"Being able to serve my compatriots and allowing them to enjoy a taste of home makes me very happy," he said.