Taiwan Today

Arbors were purely for decoration only a few years ago. Now farmers have learned to cope with climate and are growing plump fruit for both table and wine

Taiwan long has been an international supplier of sugar, rice, bananas, tea, citronella oil and canned pineapple, mushrooms and asparagus. This year the island province of the Republic of China has added a new agricultural item - grapes - to its list of exports.

Viticulture had its beginnings in Taiwan nearly two decades ago just after implementation of the land-to-the-tiller reform program in 1949. Before that there wasn't commercial vineyard on the island. Grapevines were cultivated as a hobby or as a shady arbor from the hot summer sun. When farmers came into possession of their own land, they quickly began to understand that crop diversification would assure bigger profits and security in time of price fluctuations.

Because of geographical propinquity and past affiliation with the Japanese way of farming, some farmers imported mushroom fungi, grape cuttings and pear seedlings from Japan for experimental cultivation. Mushroom growing was a success almost from the beginning. The fungi did well in the subtropical heat. Grape and pear growers were less fortunate. These varieties failed to bear fruit as large as that in Japan. When grown in orchards at higher altitudes, pears did much better.

Taiwan's biggest obstacle to viticulture is excessive rainfall. Too much rain will either rot the vines or result in sour fruit. After numerous experiments, growers found that the proper application of slaked lime would remedy these defects.

Encouraged by the government, farmers had planted nearly 50 acres of former rice paddy to grapes by 1955. Two years later, the Taiwan Provincial Government extended loans for demonstration vineyards to four farmers in Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung and Changhua counties in north and central Taiwan. The government also signed contracts with 87 farmers of the four counties to cultivate 50,000 vines on 123 acres. The government promised that all grapes harvested would be purchased by the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau for pressing into wine.

In the last 13 years, the land planted to grapevines has reached a total of 1,600 acres. About a third of this is in Miaoli, which is also a production center for citronella oil and natural gas. The rest are scattered through Taichung, Changhua and Nantou in central Taiwan and Hsinchu, Taoyuan and Taipei in the north.

Annual production of grapes has increased from 770,000 pounds in 1955 to 8.4 million pounds. Per acre yield has risen from 27,000 to 55,000 pounds. The Monopoly Bureau has purchased an average of more than 2.6 million pounds of grapes annually in recent years.

Only a half dozen grape varieties were to be found in Taiwan as recently as 1957. Today the number exceeds 160. Most of the varieties known to man now grow on Taiwan. Some hybrids were developed by local viticulturalists.

Highest quality grapes are from Hsinchu, 40 miles southwest of Taipei. Lin Hsiang, 47, of Chiunglin village in Hsinchu is the most successful grower in his county. He started to cultivate grapevines in 1960 on an experimental basis. He tried dozens of varieties from Japan and found that the Chufeng (known in Japan as Kyoho) was the most promising. Of Australian origin, this grape was known down under as the Campbell Early. It was introduced to Japan in the late 1930s and developed into the Kyoho, meaning "gigantic peaks".

When the Kyoho was brought to Taiwan about a decade ago, local farmers retained the Japanese name in Chinese characters and pronounced them as Chufeng. The variety bore fruit three years after planting. Lin made improvements by grafting and fertilizing and shortened the pre-fruit growing period to only a year.

Lin gave up raising rice in 1965 and converted two acres of paddy into a vineyard. He called it Hsin Lin Vineyard. Mrs. Lin and a cousin work with him. On Sundays and during vacations, his children help him with weeding, fertilization and care of the vines.

Despite the fact that grapes are not indigenous to Taiwan, Lin and most other native viticulturalists follow the lunar calendar in their timing. After trial and error, they have developed their own adjustments to meet local situations.

Vines put out new shoots around the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20. Two weeks after germination, NPK (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium) is applied to accelerate the growth of shoots.

Grape flowers are in full bloom a month after the vernal equinox. The Chinese farmers call this period "grain rain". On rainy days, they apply PKB (phosphate, potassium and boracic acid) to invigorate flowering. When the weather is fine, Lin mobilizes his family to pat each vine gently to promote pollination.

In early May, when the grapes are as big as soybeans, smaller ones are scissored off to assure greater growth for the rest. There will be 40 to 50 grapes on each cluster. The vine will be nourished with NPK once again.

Taste of the grapes is determined during the one-month period beginning June 6. If the grower fertilizes each vine with 0.7 to 1.3 pounds of slaked lime, the grape's sugar content may reach 22 per cent. "Grapes grown in other parts of the island are not as sweet as ours because the growers don't know the proper proportion of slaked lime," said Lin Hung-yu, a cousin of the Hsin Lin Vineyard owner. The proportion depends on soil conditions and precipitation for each locality.

The Hsin Lin Vineyard controls pests by nourishing the vines rather than by spraying insecticides. Residue of sprays may be harmful to the consumer.

The harvest season is in July and August. First-year plants produce about 13 pounds of grapes. The figure for second-year plants is three times that quantity. To assure strong and healthy vines, Lin Hsiang prunes vines bearing in excess of these figures.

In Taipei's retail markets, grapes sell at from NT$10 to NT$20 (US25 cents - US50 cents) per Taiwan catty (1.3 pounds). However, Lin sells his best fruit to the wholesaler for NT$30 (US75 cents) a catty. All his grapes are for table use. He has exported grapes to Hongkong.

Lin estimates that his 1968 harvest will total 9,000 pounds with revenue of some NT$200,000 (US$5,000). The margin of profit is six times as high as for land planted to rice. Lin Hsiang is not content with this. Through grafting and fertilization, he hopes to develop a second harvest in early October.

The Hsinchu County Government has designated the Hsien Lin Vineyard as an extension center. Lin gives technical guidance to other vineyard owners at seminars held five or six times a year.

The Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau produces 10,000 metric tons (150,000 dozen bottles) of grape wine annually. The Bureau has a vineyard at Yangmei in Taoyuan county and also buys fruit from private growers. Exports of grape wine earned US$2,500 last year. Customers are members of Chinese diplomatic missions and the overseas Chinese of Southeast Asia.

The development of viticulture in Taiwan has parallels with that of mushroom growing. Both were introduced from Japan and adapted to suit local conditions. Both began with cultivation for domestic consumption and moved on to exports. Growers expect to keep right on with their experiments with a view to processing grapes into raisins. The dried grape is a favorite confection in Taiwan and the California variety sells at a premium price in local markets.