TAIWAN

Feedback from the Trade on Their Plans and Interest in the USA Pear Season:

Both Red and Green Anjou pears began arriving in Taiwan gradually in December onward. Supermarket chains remained the primary sales channel for US pears, with only limited volumes distributed through wholesalers and traditional wet markets. In early December, Starkrimson pears were still available in the market. However, due to concerns over unstable quality and high defect rate, retail chain partners decided not to list Starkrimson pears. As a result, Starkrimson was redirected to wholesale markets. Based on the feedback from the trade collected after the visits, it was evident that selling Starkrimson in December, given its quality issues, negatively impacted trade confidence in promoting and selling US pears. Fortunately, both Red and Green Anjou pears demonstrated stable and consistent quality. When combined with promotional activities, Anjou pears were able to effectively stimulate sales and help rebuild trade confidence.

Expectations for Any Freight or Logistics Challenges:

During the period, freight and logistics operations remained stable. No trade partners reported any issues related to shipping or logistics.

Opportunities in Your Market for Specific Varieties, Sizes, and Grades:

Red and Green Anjou pears remained the key varieties of interest in the Taiwan market of the season. The most widely accepted and preferred sizes are #110–120.

Update on the Competition in the Market:

The season of Chilean pears is coming to an end. Remaining inventories are being cleared at discounted prices through aggressive price competition, which continues to attract the attention of the wholesalers. As US pears are not considered a primary fruit choice for Taiwanese consumers, domestically produced fruits remain the top purchasing priority and represent one of the main sources of competition for US pears in the market.

Political or Economic Issues Impacting Imports, Retail, or Consumer Behavior:

Carrefour has been under Uni-President Enterprises' ownership for some time. Following the acquisition, no major strategic adjustments were initially observed. Recently, however, several Carrefour supermarket and hypermarket stores have closed. According to press releases, Uni-President Group has begun restructuring Carrefour's operating model, although no concrete details have been officially announced to date. Regarding fruit promotions, current practices remain unchanged, and procurement teams have assured that no significant adjustments are expected in the near term. Should there be any changes related to fruit promotion strategies, we will continue to maintain close communication with the procurement team.

Other Brief Comments:

World Pear Day promotion was a success. Both the on-site events and online exposure generated very positive results. Trade partners expressed strong satisfaction with the overall planning and execution of the campaign and viewed it as highly successful. They also expressed interest in seeing more dynamic and attractive on-site activities for US pears in the future, as such initiatives are considered effective in attracting younger consumer groups.