It is already grown here. Unless we are talking about different bananas but plantains are pretty obvious. Green to black, still a plantain of different maturity.
Is it that it cannot be imported or is it actually banned? Like opium poppies style ban (for different reasons obviiusly).
I was under the impression the only plants banned by species in taiwan are the controlled substance contenders.
It is not a banana. And I have been here 20 years, have never seen one. Closest ones are in Filipinas.
Dark rumors said it could be found imported at certain SEA markets. Thatās how we have gotten hold of cassava for vigoron. But I have yet to see/hold one.
The fungus explanation I got from a guy from Taiwan missions who had been to Central America and was doing research in Pingtung, so I fear he was right.
I cook čč like plantains. Green for tostones and extra ripe for maduros. My flatmate keeps wanting to throw them away as they are becoming black. 
Just to double check we are talking about the same species (hybrid). I was growing. Musa Ć paradisiaca. Probably not far from your friends research (NPUST?).
I have a friend not too far away from there that collects fruit from all over. Gave him some of my plants when i left the area. But the plants were available in specialty fruit nurseries semi-commonly a decade or so ago. Mine came from a nursery here as well. Will ask the banana research place in pingtung next time im there see if they have it.
Are you having trouble finding cassava? It grows all over taiwan, aboriginals selling veggies, especially yams, should be able to get it for you. I have lots of plants if you want to grow it.
Yes, cassava itself is hard to find. People cultivate it for the milk tea pearls, and other processed culinary uses of its meal, but only on winter do we find the actual root for sale. And it is for quite limited time.
No, they were too poor to afford rice. The dried yam concoction served as their rice.
Freudian slip?
I disagree, the brown thing that exits my body is not that good.
Brown sugar is the ultimate joke āhealthy choiceā. They refine the sugar as usual, then add the molasses back in which colours it brown. Canāt get panela here either. Well canāt get it easily, Iām sure some boutique rip off health food store has it at some outrageous price. I donāt think there is much awareness here of the difference between panela and brown(āblackā) sugarā¦
Do they still grow it here for tapioca? I hink its almost all imported now. Too cheap for the land prices here to be grown for commercial reasons.
Open offer if you want plants
Iām just imagining Icon growing cassava on her balcony and getting a 3am knock on the door because one of the neighbors has grassed up the shady foreigner growing cannabis 
Now you just let everyone in the best kept secret on Forumosa. Way to spoil things!
Would love to but I am cursed with the Brown thumb of Death.
Itās virtually impossible to kill cassava. For obvious reasons, though, youād need a big planting tub.
Iām guessing it only appears in the markets seasonally because itās, um, seasonal. The tubers form under specific conditions and they have to be dug up at the right time or they get woody and unpleasant to eat.
Oh sorry. Didnt realise you were in a condo/apartment.
Though guerilla farming is absolutely common and accepted in taiwan. Pribably 15% of the veggies/herbs found in local markets are grown that way. Or stolen haha.
Ps. Finleyā¦ya, wtf? Cassava bro. For all you know we are talking about manihot grahamii. That species keeps the leaf phenotype nazis away.