Taiwan’s banana exports have fallen sharply, and prices the farmers get have fallen, too. The solution would seem simple: better marketing, as has been done for almonds, raisins or pomegranates in the United States.
The Taiwan Banana Research Institute wants to make the banana a luxury product. It hopes consumers will consider the Pei-Chiao bananas, the Cavendish variety most often grown in Taiwan, a delicacy for which they will pay a premium price. “Our goal is to position Taiwanese bananas as a brand and appeal to consumers who are willing to pay extra for fruit because it tastes better and was grown using safer farming methods,” said Chao Chih-ping, director of the institute. Mr. Chao thinks researchers could extract tryptophan, an amino acid, from surplus bananas for use as an antidepressant. Peels may be a source of antioxidants and fiber can be harvested from stems and turned into textiles.
The American corn industry may be a better model for Taiwan’s banana farmers than pineapple cakes. Most corn is turned into ethanol, animal feed or high-fructose corn syrup, but it can also be used in the manufacturing of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and textiles. “We’re looking at products like nutritional powder made from processed bananas, which is becoming more popular in Japan as a health and weight-loss aid,” said Mr. Chuang, the government agriculture official.
