Blooming Hard: Taiwan's Persimmon Growers Struggle

Persimmons are popular in Taiwan but changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry. I-Hwa CHENG / AFP
Persimmons are popular in Taiwan but changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry. I-Hwa CHENG / AFP
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Blooming Hard: Taiwan's Persimmon Growers Struggle

Persimmons are popular in Taiwan but changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry. I-Hwa CHENG / AFP
Persimmons are popular in Taiwan but changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry. I-Hwa CHENG / AFP

Taiwanese persimmon farmer Lo Chih-neng stands on a ladder in his sprawling orchard using secateurs to cut the golden-yellow fruit still hanging from branches after enduring a tough season.
Persimmons are popular in Taiwan where people travel hours to buy bags and boxes of the sweet dried fruit to take home to their families or give away to friends.
But changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry, forcing some farmers to look at alternative ways to maximize returns -- or get out altogether, AFP said.
Lo's harvest was down by more than a third in 2024, Taiwan's hottest year on record, after some of his trees failed to bloom and two typhoons in October stripped many of their leaves and fruit.
"The yield has dropped by quite a lot, at least a third or more," Lo, 65, told AFP on his farm where persimmon trees carpet a valley in Dongshi district, in the central west of the island.
"The losses have been severe, and it's mostly due to the typhoons," said Lo, who expects to lose Nt$1 million ($30,000) from his takings on this year's crop.
Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said Tuesday that 2024 was the hottest year since records began 127 years ago, echoing unprecedented temperature highs felt around the world.
Climate hardship
Taiwan's annual persimmon harvest declined for the second year in a row in 2023 to around 59,000 tons.
It is expected to be more than 13 percent lower in 2024, figures from the Agriculture and Food Agency show.
The land area used for growing the fruit has shrunk to 4,700 hectares (11,600 acres) from more than 5,300 hectares a decade ago, and the number of persimmon farmers has also fallen, Su Tang-chao, director of the agency's fruit and flower division, told AFP.
"In recent years, we have observed changes in production areas and fluctuations in yield and quality due to broader environmental changes, such as climate change and global warming," Su said.
Fresh persimmons are harvested from September to December, with most of the fruit sent to Hsinchu county, south of Taipei, to be dried.
Nearly all of the fruit harvested every year is consumed in Taiwan.
Lo's harvest is put into plastic crates, loaded into the back of a truck and taken to Weiweijia persimmon orchard where Lu Li-chien's family has been growing and drying the fruit for more than a century.
Tourists flock to Lu's farm to pose for photos among outdoor circular racks of fruit that shrivel and darken as they dry in the sun and wind -- a traditional method used by Taiwan's ethnic Hakka community.
Normally, fresh persimmons arrive at the Weiweijia farm every day, but Lu said this year's harvest has been "extremely low" and deliveries have been every two days.
"Compared to previous years, we only have about 20 percent of the usual supply," Lu, 68, told AFP.
"When I ask the farmers about the cause, they said the trees are not blooming properly, the flowers aren't opening up as they should."
Lu blames "climate abnormalities", with the production problems worsened by ageing growers whose children have no interest in taking over the family orchard.
"We've never encountered such a situation," he said of the poor harvest.
To maximize earnings, Lu's workers collect persimmon peels and turn them into dye. There are also plans afoot to make skincare products.
Lo, who has a teenage daughter, said he hopes to pass his farm to his nephew in the next few years -- if he is up to the challenge.
"I told him, 'If you're afraid of hardship, you won't be able to do this'," Lo said. "It gets really hot sometimes, and other times, it's very cold."



Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore Among Those who Lost Homes in Los Angeles Fires

A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
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Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore Among Those who Lost Homes in Los Angeles Fires

A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)

Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events.
Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week's Oscar nominations have been delayed. And tens of thousands of Angelenos are displaced and awaiting word Thursday on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city's most famous denizens, The Associated Press reported.
More than 1,900 structures have been destroyed and the number is expected to increase. More than 130,000 people are also under evacuation orders in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, a number that continues to shift as new fires erupt.
Late Wednesday, a fire in the Hollywood Hills was scorching the hills near the famed Hollywood Bowl and Dolby Theatre, which is the home of the Academy Awards.
Here are how the fires are impacting celebrities and the Los Angeles entertainment industry:
Stars whose homes have burned in the fires Celebrities like Crystal and his wife, Janice, were sharing memories of the homes they lost.
The Crystals lost the home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that they lived in for 45 years.
“Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this,” the Crystals wrote in the statement.
Mandy Moore lost her home in the Altadena neighborhood roughly 30 miles east of the Palisades.
“Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family. My children’s school is gone. Our favorite restaurants, leveled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too,” Moore wrote on Instagram in a post that included video of devastated streets in the foothill suburb.
“Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together. Sending love to all affected and on the front lines trying to get this under control,” Moore wrote.
Hilton posted a news video clip on Instagram and said it included footage of her destroyed home in Malibu. “This home was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London,” she said, referencing her young children."
Elwes, the star of “The Princess Bride” and numerous other films, wrote on Instagram Wednesday that his family was safe but their home had burned in the coastal Palisades fire. “Sadly we did lose our home but we are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire,” Elwes wrote.
The blazes have thrown Hollywood's carefully orchestrated awards season into disarray.
Awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed due to the fires. The AFI Awards, which were set to honor “Wicked,” “Anora” and other awards season contenders, had been scheduled for Friday.
The AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, which honor movies and television shows that resonate with older audiences, were set for Friday but have been postponed.
The Critics Choice Awards, originally scheduled for Sunday, have been postponed until Feb. 26.
Each of the shows feature projects that are looking for any advantage they can get in the Oscar race and were scheduled during the Academy Awards voting window.
The Oscar nominations are also being delayed two days to Jan. 19 and the film academy has extended the voting window to accommodate members affected by the fires.