Pomelo flesh is juicy, but because the rind is ugly, after the Mid-Autumn Festival few people ask about it

Pomelo is the best gift for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but has anyone ever wondered where the pomelos go after the Mid-Autumn Festival? "Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, pomelos can sell for 100 yuan per jin; after the moon-viewing is over, only ten yuan is left." Li Yuxian, director-general of the Madou Farmers' Association, spoke of the bitterness farmers face. Because pomelo is treated as a festival commodity, once the Mid-Autumn Festival passes, it is cast aside; to avoid losing their entire investment, farmers would rather, before the Mid-Autumn Festival, sell at a low price to big wholesalers who repackage it as Madou pomelo. "Truly, it rises and falls with the Mid-Autumn Festival!"

Before and After Mid-Autumn Festival, Pomelo Prices Can Differ Tenfold

Many Madou pomelos on the market are not actually grown in Madou, but farmers in Hualien, Taitung and other places are hardly willing to sell the fruits of their labor repackaged as Madou pomelo. Besides marketing ability, the selling lifespan of pomelo is probably the shortest of all fruits in Taiwan.

"The dew turns white from tonight; the moon is brightest in my hometown." Du Fu's classic verse is familiar to many. "White Dew" is one of the 24 solar terms, and the next solar term right after it is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Pomelos harvested within about ten days before and after White Dew taste best, but pomelo is regarded as the best gift for the Mid-Autumn Festival; once White Dew and the Mid-Autumn Festival fall too close together, the pomelo selling period shortens, and farmers have to face the predicament of having no way to sell.

"The year before last, White Dew and the Mid-Autumn Festival were only 4 days apart, and half of my pomelos could not be sold, so I had to use them for processing." Zeng Guoqi, who grows organic pomelo in Hualien, recalled the disastrous situation that year and shook his head helplessly. He said pomelo is not only a seasonal fruit but also a "festival fruit"; although this has created fairly good income, after the Mid-Autumn Festival it is cast aside, and the price drops by at least half. Li Yuxian stated even more bluntly that before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, pomelo prices can differ by as much as tenfold.

(This article is sponsored by the Jianzhen Environmental Education Foundation for personnel expenses, but it does not interfere at all with news topic selection and interview writing, ensuring news independence.)