When China sanctioned Taiwanese pineapples in February 2021, tropical fruit was suddenly on the menu for global politicians and media pundits just as much as consumers. The Taiwan government’s #FreedomPineapple campaign made for fantastic headlines and sweetly satisfying reading all around the world. Pineapples originally grown for the Chinese market were being sold by the crate-load in democratic allies like Japan, Korea and Singapore. Little fruit farmer David was giving autocratic Goliath a good clip around the ear - and making a killing in the bargain. Triumphalism marked political photo-ops with farmers just as much as breathless writeups from Reuters, Deutsche Welle and the BBC. 

Nor was this irresistible underdog yarn just empty bluster. Japan imported more Taiwanese pineapples in 2021 than every year since records began - put together. Such statistics certainly sound impressive, but they raise an obverse question: why were imports of Taiwanese fruit from countries other than China so low to begin with? The simple answer is that Taiwanese pineapples are expensive - far more than those from rival fruit-growing nations like Indonesia or the Philippines. Taipei was thus forced to facilitate its export explosion with generous subsidies, sucking up public funds in the process. 

And in fact, while #PineappleFreedom might have been an isolated campaign, agricultural subsidies have long been more rule than exception in Taiwan. This short documentary explores the “dark heart” of Taiwan’s most “golden-delicious” export, casting a critical eye on the island’s new politically-charged export strategy and questioning how far a culture of agricultural aid has contributed to its now-chronic food insecurity. Welcome to the “Fruit Kingdom,” an export-oriented land of plenty.

With special thanks to:

新農青果生產合作社  
太陽農場
侯家果菜運銷合作社
陳郁然

This documentary was produced by Rowanguard Media for CommonWealth English. For commissions and inquiries, please visit their website.