yes, its baffling how after shipping oranges from across the globe, plus markup for the distribution chain, these oranges are cheaper than locally grown papaya.
Agriculture is massively subsidized in places such as the US, which then dumps its products around the world.
In Taiwan, farmers contend with relatively high land costs, and a relative labour shortage. They also, to their credit, are for the most part selling a superior product.
Guy
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Its also worth mentioning that most top grade produce is exported. Examples like lamb from new zealand, beef from australia, and fruit from taiwan. Its not impossible to find good cuts and grades in the country of origin, but the majority of top produced species are exported and the left overs are easily sold locally. Taiwan has no shortage of unregistered eateries willing to buy discount random stuff and cut it up pretty for a premium. As such, i have never eaten such lousy lamb so often than when living in new zealand haha. The frozen lamb here from NZ was better by at least 2 fold.
No they are not.
Yea for example American beef in Taiwan tastes GREAT, good marbling and all that.
In America unless you are paying top dollars, most the beef you buy are utter garbage. Had this guy gave me a slice he bought from one of those spanish markets, it tasted like leather, not kidding at all. It was under 2 dollars a pound. Ground beef was cheap but they were garbage that contains really questionable looking things, not all of it is actually meat. But American beef in Taiwan is so much better even if they cost much more than in the states.
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Was just at the day markets yesterday, picked up two squid (zhongjuan), 430NT! Squid is quite premium in Taiwan. I get it with the nerctic squid (xiaojuan), which are really quite special, especially if you get the seasonal female ones with the eggs. Iâll happily pay up for those. But plain old squid⌠and the labour practices of Taiwanâs fisheriesâŚthe mind boggles.
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Thatâs eleven squid for two squid!
Is it possible theyâre being overfished? Taiwanese trawlers are neck-and-neck with the Chinese for unsustainable operations, and China seems to be ramping up their fishing game lately.
Enjoy them before theyâre gone.
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As far as I always understood, squid is one of the most sustainable foods we can eat! As we wipe out all the middle species, squid are actually having a party hoovering up all the small fry. These zhongjuan probably still could be considered a baby version, with more delicate flesh. And I suppose itâs plausible this particular variety could be overfished.
This information is intended for adults who do their own shopping.
I am an adult who does my own shopping. I bought mangoes on monday and it was not 70/jin. Idk what your agenda is.
Gentlemen, the pricing of mangoes is highly variable as they are NOT all the same quality.
In short, it is possible that you are both correct. 
Guy
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My agenda is to discuss food inflation, local trend or worldwide. 
True, and also where you buy it, and sometimes based on who you are. Like my 20 something friend she pays more than her mom at the same traditional market
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The variable pricing you mentionedâhow cozy you are with the seller, how proficiently you speak Minnan, etcâis one of the reasons I donât buy stuff at those markets. 
Guy
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I thought their populations were crashing also.
Onto the jellyfish next.
I think he grows mangos for a living.
Just out doing my rounds. Taipei city. I realise n=1, but just to show I am not making these prices up.
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I wonder if that is what most people pay, in this kind of place if I pay âlistâ price then my Taiwanese friend will say I got a bad price, and she would not pay that price. I will check Carrefour prices as its fixed if remember when I go. (we do this in our consulting business we have list prices that we discount to many customers, part of âmarketingâ)
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That is of course what happens.
If anyone wants to see global trends and price fluctuations on food (or anything really) you follow wholesale prices not gramma in a market prices.
As per my experiences bein from the oposite end of agriculture and production, many things have tanked. A few main.reasons.are: CCP slow game.in fucking taiwan, logistics companies, climate issues, water shortages, pest issues (directly related to climate issues), land/soil degredation (expect this to become far worse over time), high labor costs, low labour output (people are slow and lazy now, and we dont allow enough immigrants in to pick up the taiwanese slack) and many other minor issues.
I need to remember to take some.pics of farms.with rotting food thale farmers just said fuck.it with. Its disturbing.
I hope more people wish to converse about such real troubles, especially environmental an.social issues that are really affecting our food security. Ironically taiwan.is in the middle of a serious made in taiwan kick when.it comes to.food. makes going foward quite interesting, but i doubt the push is strong.enough to evolve the industry.
Forgot to.mention. lots of free mangoes now a well. So many roadside, farmside, wild trees its insane. Those 80/jin mango are Irwin, more expensive less flesh. Yummy though! Buy Jinhuang for good cp value 
plus, taipei should be more expensive. Irwin here are probably 40ish per jin. Mostly coming from Pingdong.
As a side note. Mango are sprayed to shit. People that value organic might want to avoid store bought mango in taiwan. Many a farmer are even scared of the level of spraying that goes on in big farms.
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