The Taitung County Government has acknowledged that it cannot find any single fruit capable of replacing the pineapple custard apple — bad news for farmers still waiting for guidance on what to switch to.

• County councillors pressed the government directly on "what should we grow if not custard apples," criticising it for calling for a shift in crops without offering an economically viable answer.
• The county government admitted there is no "saviour" crop and that it will need to consult further with the district agricultural research and extension station.
• This year's crop-conversion subsidies total more than NT$30 million county-wide, most of it from the central government, but farmers still prefer established options such as the sugar apple and citrus, because sales channels are stable and technical advice is easy to come by.
• Emerging tropical fruits such as durian and rambutan have prohibitively high barriers to entry; one farmer spent more than NT$20 million on greenhouses alone, a level of investment ordinary growers cannot match.
• After sales to China were blocked, exports of pineapple custard apples fell sharply, and domestic sales are being propped up by stalls at MRT stations and online orders — far from enough to absorb the harvest.

Outlook: A breakthrough on crop conversion is unlikely in the short term, and the pressure from unsold pineapple custard apples may spill over onto the sugar apple crop about to reach market.