This is good news for Taiwanese farmers in Pingtung, as a new deal opens the door to selling more fruit and other farm goods in Japan and beyond.

• Pingtung County signed an agreement with Japan's Itochu Corporation to sell local pineapples, mangoes, bananas, and other farm, fishery, and livestock products through Itochu's international sales network.
• Pingtung is building a large packing and processing plant to handle sorting, quarantine checks, and cold storage, aiming to start trial operations in December and go fully online by 2027.
• Itochu says demand for Pingtung pineapples is already growing, with shipments expected to rise this year, and plans to use its global network to help the fruit reach Japan and other overseas markets.
• Better cold-chain and inspection systems are meant to keep fruit fresher for longer trips, making it easier to meet strict quality rules in export markets.

Outlook: Exports are expected to expand gradually as the new processing plant comes online, with fishery and livestock products potentially added to the partnership later.