Thanks to the amazing grass-grown soil teammates, Tsai Yung-shun wins the all-Taiwan red dragon fruit championship, with special fruit aroma and a perfect sugar-acid ratio
An amateur farmer rises unexpectedly: Tsai Yung-shun, a young farmer in organic transition who switched from being a track surveying engineer, stood out among 100 competing farmers nationwide and took the championship in the red-fleshed category of the 2019 all-Taiwan red dragon fruit evaluation. Tsai Yung-shun's fruit is slightly smaller than most people's, yet the sweet-tart ratio is just right; he scored full marks in the sugar content evaluation item, and the fruit has a special aroma, winning outright on flavor.
The judges specifically noted that because of drastic recent weather changes, rational fertilization in the field is key to dragon fruit quality. Tsai Yung-shun said, "Using natural farming methods gives dragon fruit better tolerance to the environment, so its growth is less affected by flooding and scorching sun. This is the key to its superior flavor."
Strict shipping standards, high customer loyalty
The red dragon fruit season is concentrated from June to December. Tsai Yung-shun's red dragon fruit has sold out year after year. Besides good quality, another reason is Tsai Yung-shun's insistence on shipping standards and customer relations. He said proudly, "In all these years of selling dragon fruit, only one box has ever had a defect!"
His customers are extremely loyal and trust him greatly. He gives dragon fruit with poor appearance to customers as gifts. Tsai Yung-shun said, "Poor appearance does not affect the inner flavor, and it is equally the result of my efforts. Rather than being haggled down and sold cheaply, I would rather give back to those willing to support me."
Recently all of Taiwan has gone crazy for dragon fruit cultivation, and the expanded planting area has led to an imbalance between production and sales of dragon fruit. Tsai Yung-shun believes the government should not subsidize farmers through buying up the crop, because buying up will make farmers feel they have nothing to fear, and instead yields will rise while quality falls, creating a vicious cycle of price fluctuations. He believes farmers should faithfully complete production registration, while the government should provide historical data on planting area and prices over the years so farmers can decide for themselves whether to plant. In addition, resources should be invested in research and development of processing technology to cope with the problem of surplus agricultural products.