The ongoing coronavirus outbreak centered in China has slowed cross-strait exchanges in many sectors, including exports. Fishermen and farmers in southern Taiwan are having a hard time as Chinese demand for groupers and pineapples plummets.
Groupers are a popular fish, exported from Yongan Fishing Harbor in the southern city of Kaohsiung. The total annual grouper export is worth at NT$4 billion (US$133 million).
80% of the catch is sold to China. But China has suspended all orders of the fish amid the recent coronavirus outbreak. This drastic drop in demand has cause the price of groupers to drop by more than 20%. Many fishermen say they are barely making any revenue at current prices, and they hope the outbreak will subside soon.
These fishermen are not alone in worrying about dwindling export orders. Taiwanese pineapple farmers said they’re looking at an abysmal year, since exports to China have plummeted, and their output is far bigger than Taiwan’s domestic demand.