Tainan City government hosts the Tainan Pineapple & Bamboo Shoot Season Marketing Campaign every year to help farmers sell their produce. To usher in this year’s pineapple and bamboo shoot season, Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che attended the 2020 Pineapple & Bamboo Shoot Season press conference and demonstrated how to make pineapple fried rice. He also announced that this year's activities will officially kick off on April 25 at Wanglai Park in Datanpi, Guanmiao. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those who wish to participate have to register online prior to the events. There will be two events with 300 available slots each. Huang stressed that epidemic prevention is also important when promoting tourism and agricultural activities, and the government will do their best to ensure citizens can protect their health as they are enjoying themselves at the events.
The Mayor expressed that Tainan is the city with the highest agriculture output value in Taiwan and the sales of many animal products and produce from Tainan are top of the nation. Tainan's high-quality pineapples have great market competitiveness as well. Huang invited citizens to support local farmers and buy more produce, and reminded the public that eating in season fruits and vegetables is good for one’s health, especially during the epidemic period. At the press conference, Mayor Huang also demonstrated how to cook pineapple fried rice. He added all the ingredients and started to stir-fry the dish, flipping the food in the pan like a chef as the crowd cheered him on. Attracted by the aroma, press conference attendees were all eager to have a taste.
According to the Agriculture Bureau, pineapple production reaches its peak between April and July every year, and the estimated total production volume of pineapples for this year is around 73,000 tons. Guanmiao's unique climate and soil makes it the ideal place to grow Golden Diamond (No. 17) pineapples. With its sweet flavor and pleasant texture, this variety is immensely popular on the market. However, the Bureau pointed out that pineapple sales this year have been impacted by the pandemic and asked both public and private sectors to help support the producers. In addition to helping farmers hold marketing campaigns and events, the government is matching producers with restaurants and hotels to roll out healthy and economic meals for delivery. Furthermore, multiple channels are set up to promote and sell pineapples, including e-commerce platforms, blog posts, Postmall, and farmer markets. Hopefully, these measures will encourage the public to buy more local produce and increase the farmers’ income.
Guanmiao District Office welcomed visitors to explore the joys of farming at Wanglai Park. Guests can actually pick pineapples in the fields, make their own pickled pineapple, and see how Guanmiao noodles are made.