Taiwan Today

The quality of this year's Valencia oranges in Donghe Township in southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung County has been especially good, thanks to the efforts of the Taitung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station. The station introduced a project at the beginning of 2010 to prevent the Oriental fruit fly from damaging the oranges. The initiative successfully reduced the population density of the insects, keeping the aromatic fruit from being marred by the pests. The Oriental fruit fly is the biggest hazard to Taiwan's fruit orchards. In the case of Valencia oranges, the female fruit flies bite into them and lay their eggs inside. The larvae of the flies will then burrow their way through the fruit, causing it to rot. If farmers fail to spot the traces of the bites during harvest, letting the fruit be sold to consumers, their reputation could suffer. The station and the Donghe Township Agricultural Association joined hands in January 2010 to start teaching farmers how to prevent damage to their crops from the fly. The station said by the end of February, the population of the flies as measured in the Nanxi area had dropped from 321 flies trapped in a net bag over a 10-day period to just 50. In the Beiyuan area, the figure had dropped from 88 trapped to just 33. The station intends to continue the prevention project for two years. Donghe farmer Lee Kun-gu said the use of toxic methyl eugenol and Spinosad bait, along with a long-acting net bag, has successfully attracted the flies and brought down the population in the region significantly, adding that the skin of the Valencia oranges has since become quite glossy, and the meat of the fruit is aromatic and sweet. Lee said the tasty Valencia oranges nowadays are selling for about NT$30 per catty. It takes up to 14 months for the fruit to grow and ripen on the tree. At present, one crop is being harvested, while a new batch of flowers is in blossom on the trees, he remarked, adding that the white flowers are particularly fragrant. Lee welcomes visitors to pick the oranges and walk among the flowering trees in the Donghe area. (This article originally appeared in “The Liberty Times” March 24.)