Taiwan has promised to replace any faulty pineapples recently exported to Singapore. That was the word from the Council of Agriculture on Tuesday as some Singaporean consumers of Taiwanese pineapples complained about the quality of the fruit.
Singapore began importing Taiwan pineapples after China suddenly banned imports of the fruit on March 1. About 97% of Taiwan’s pineapples exports were exported to China. Taiwan has since tried to expand to other markets.
The council believes that the quality issue is likely due to the longer transportation time needed to ship the fruit to Singapore. It only takes three days to ship to China while it takes seven days to reach Singapore.
The council is sending experts to investigate the cause of the problem. It said it is likely due to one of three factors which include harvesting the pineapples too early, improper refrigeration or problems during transport. They have instructed farmers to harvest the pineapples when their sweetness has reached 14 degrees or more. They must be kept at temperatures of 13 plus or minus 2 degrees Celsius and avoid being transported for longer than 7 days.
The council said that if there are any problems with the Taiwanese pineapples in Singapore, they would replace them.
The council also reminded consumers that after they buy pineapples, they need to be put in a cool place. Once they are cut open, they need to be refrigerated and eaten as soon as possible.