‘ Pineapple express’ train launched after ban on Taiwan fruit

China has launched a pineapple themed highspeed rail line to promote pineapples produced in Xuwen, South China’s Guangdong province. Local farmers already witnessed a surge of sales over the weekend, after pineapples from the island of Taiwan were banned by the Chinese mainland last Friday.

The express line links several cities across China, including Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong, and major pineapple markets including Beijing, Shanghai and Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China’s Gansu Province as part of Xuwen’s marketing campaign.

Xuwen is the largest production base of pineapples in China. According to the Xinhua News

Agency, the annual yield of pineapples in Xuwen accounts for 38 percent of the national output.

The customs authority on the Chinese mainland issued an import ban on pineapples from the island of Taiwan on Friday, which takes effect on Monday. The ban cited concerns about plant pests, and the authority said that it is a normal biosafety measure.

The ban triggered a sour response over the weekend from the island, whose pineapple trade with the mainland is worth up to around $ 50 million annually, according to media reports.

The mainland is also the largest export destination for pineapples from the island of Taiwan. In 2020, Taiwan exported 41,661 tons of fresh pineapples to the mainland, accounting for 91 percent of the island’s total pineapple exports that year, according to statistics.