TAIWAN

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

Importers with prior experience remain interested in importing USA Pears, with volumes and shipment schedules primarily depending on the landing price and cost. Retailers also showed interest in carrying and promoting USA Pears, and their intention to carry the product would be further encouraged if they were provided with additional product education materials.

Expectations for Any Freight or Logistics Challenges:

Retailers want to avoid potential quality complaints of defects caused by handling during transport or cold-chain equipment performance.

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

Red and Green Anjou remained the primary varieties in the Taiwan market. In contrast, summer varieties such as Starkrimson and Bartlett are more sensitive to storage conditions and have shorter shelf lives, which reduced retailer interest. However, some importers and retailers were still willing to bring them in at the start of the season, if the quoted price remained adequate, to fill the gap before Anjou pears became available.

Update on the Competition in the Market:

A locally developed variety, Ganlu Pear, has become increasingly popular among Taiwanese consumers and has notably reduced imports of Korean pears. Japanese pears, positioned mainly as premium gift items, are less directly affected. However, Ganlu Pear’s strong alignment with local consumer preferences in terms of taste, appearance, and quality suggests its sales performance will continue to grow.

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

With the US-Taiwan tariff negotiations still unsettled, the uncertainty of the broader economic outlook made consumers more price-sensitive. Feedback from major retail chains indicated that overall market performance remained weak, and shoppers were more cautious about price fluctuations.

Other Brief Comments:

PBNW-Taiwan is actively engaging with retailers to monitor shipping schedules and distribution, ensuring that promotion activities remain flexible. The approach aims to strengthen the sales performance of USA Pears while building retailer confidence in carrying the product.