COST OF LIVING/Banana prices to remain high until May or June: Ministry

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) The price of bananas in Taiwan, which has shot up in recent weeks due to crop damage from several typhoons last year, is expected to remain high until May or June, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Tuesday.

According to the MOA's Agriculture and Food Agency, the price of bananas at Taipei's First and Second Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Markets on Monday was NT$107.1 (US$3.27) per kilogram, up 84.2 percent from NT$58.1 on the same date last year.

In comments to the press Tuesday, agency director Yao Chih-wang (姚志旺) said the high prices were mainly the result of "several typhoons" that struck Kaohsiung and Pingtung, the fruit's main growing regions, last year.

The typhoon damage meant that the current banana crop was reduced to "almost nothing," causing prices to rise, Yao said.

Although farmers have worked to replant and rehabilitate their trees, bananas take around a year before they are ready to harvest, Yao said, adding that he expected prices to moderate during the crop's next harvest in May and June.

Three typhoons made landfall in Taiwan in 2024 -- Typhoon Gaemi on July 25 in Yilan; Typhoon Krathon on Oct. 3 in Kaohsiung; and Typhoon Kong-rey on Oct. 23 in Taitung.

Aside from bananas, the harvests of jujubes and wax apples were also severely impacted by the typhoons, causing their prices to rise, according to Yao.

The price of guavas -- which has risen 15.9 percent to NT$68.6 per kg compared to last year -- is also expected to fall in May or June, he said.

In the meantime, the public is advised to eat citrus fruits, Yao said.