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Preface
We are Pearl guavas of Xizhou Township. We have to undergo hardships before being picked. Once we are cut from the trees by the farmers, we are delivered to the marketplace and resent to the markets of other cities so that consumers all over the country can taste Pearl guava’s good flavor. Oftentimes we would say goodbye happily to the farmers because we know these farmers would make money out of selling us. Yet we also know that sometimes they have to sell us at a very low price due to overproduction.
Now let me show you how the Pearl guavas are sold and how much bitterness and happiness the peasants would have to face.
Channels of Distribution
| Step1： |
Sold to veggie and fruit markets all over Taiwan: The Pearl guavas are sold to northern Taiwan, such as Taipei, Hsinchu, andTaoyuan. Such delivery can carry large amount of production, which is an advantage. Yet the price is determined by the buyer, which might lead to exploitation of farmers and the distance of transportation is long. |
| Step2： |
Sold to peddlers of traditional markets: The peddlers would come to the farmers’ place to fetch the guavas themselves, so there’s no problem with transportation. Yet a farmer has to fund as many peddlers as possible to sell out all his guava production. |
| Step3： |
Sold to guava collection farms: Many guava collection farms are set up to sell guavas to local people. The assembly staff would categorize the guavas by looks, size, and weight before packing them into boxes and sending to wholesale markets of northern Taiwan before midnight. At that wholesale market, peddlers from other towns and cities would bid for the guavas and take them away once the deal is done. The farmers can sell their guavas to them in big quantities, yet the collection farm has to be paid, which eats away the farmers’ profits. |
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Farmers’ Marketplace
Since the first cultural festival held three years ago, Xizhou Township Office has made a continual effort to promote farmers’ marketplace, so that the local farmers may set up stalls and sell their good-quality agricultural products during the cultural festival. This has greatly increased the visibility of Xizhou’s Pearl guava.
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Xizhou Township Office tried to break superstitions among people
There was a superstition that guavas are not suitable as offerings, which caused the decline of guava selling in July (of lunar calendar). To enhance the selling of guavas, Xizhou Township Office made a point of publicizing that guavas are good offerings for Ghost Festival. The township magistrate Huang Sheng-lu remarked that such a festival is a ritual, and the Gods or ghosts would not be happy to see farmers unable to lead a decent living. He then encouraged people to break such superstition and buy sweet and inexpensive guavas as offerings to Gods and ghosts.
http://www.hsichou.gov.tw/news_03_info.asp?sn=10
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Guava slices are included in the McDonald’s Happy Kids Meal
The fruit bag attached to the McDonald’s Happy Kids Meal chooses guava slices to be part of the plan. It is the Pearl guava that was first promoted, and the county magistrate and the members of the production and marketing group all gave their words to the freshness of the Pearl guava. This is the new choice for McDonald’s diners. |
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Tips to Choose Fresh Guavas
| Guava masters told us there are tips to choose a good, fresh guava:
- Stainless and green
- With some wrinkles and hardness
- Longer in shape
- The guava’s quality is generally better in fruit stands than in supermarkets.
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| Do you find guava plantation a difficult yet profitless work? Sometimes after a year’s hard work, the farmers cannot quote decent enough price for the guavas. The climate and soil of Xizhou Township are very suitable for the guavas to grow, yet the price of the guavas fluctuate a lot owing to weather conditions. The price can vary from TWD 6-30 for each, depending on the distribution channel the farmers choose. No matter what the channel is, the quality of Pearl guavas remains excellent, and is a top choice for consumers all over Taiwan. |
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