By MOOK Travel Life Network, reported and compiled by Chen Guanxin
Sweet Irwin mangoes from Pingtung County are now available. The Pingtung County Government, Fangshan Township Office, and Fangshan District Farmers’ Association will hold the 2012 “Pingtung Mango Festival” on June 9 and 10 at the Fangshan Coastal Recreation Area from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM. The event will feature a baby bikini contest to select the Mango Baby, a giveaway of 100 bottles of mango juice, a children’s art and dance performance, as well as nearly 60 fresh mango stalls, slushie sales, and a variety of agricultural and fishery specialty gifts and products for purchase.
Farmer Chen Ching-chan from Yanpu carefully selects hard-earned native mangoes while sharing this year’s production situation. (Photo provided by the Pingtung County Government Agriculture Department)
Located at the southern tip of Taiwan, Pingtung benefits not only from a mild climate but also from the moist tropical sea breeze and abundant sunshine, making it ideal for growing Irwin mangoes. Farmers continuously improve cultivation and management techniques, emphasizing...natural ripening of the mangoes on the tree,and avoid using ripening agents, resulting in sweet, juicy flesh that is highly favored by overseas consumers. The mangoes have successfully been exported to Japan, South Korea, and mainland China. Fangshan Township Mayor Chou Chiao-yun said, “The Irwin mangoes produced in Pingtung go through multiple quality steps including weight grading, pesticide inspection, and sweetness testing, ensuring excellent quality.”
Native mangoes are also one of Pingtung’s major agricultural specialties, mainly grown in Sandimen, Maqiao, and Yanpu, covering about 2,600 hectares. This year, due to weather impacts, the yield of native mangoes—typically in peak season during May and June—has decreased by nearly half. The native mango promotion event, held for five consecutive years, has been halted for the first time this year.
“The native mangoes that were just about to be harvested have had to be postponed,” said farmer [name unclear]. The over 100-hectare native mango orchards, which usually see harvesting from April to June, have only just begun at the end of May this year, but only about 500 kilograms are being picked per day. With low yields and the harvest season ending around mid-June, those who want to try native mangoes should seize the opportunity.
Pingtung Mango Festival event website: eyearrow.com/w_link/2012mango/1_hotnews.html
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