Often referred to as the “tropical fruit king,” mangoes are one of the most important fruit crops in Taiwan. According to Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture, in 2019 alone, a total of 8,000 metric tons of mangoes were exported to other countries, including Japan, Singapore, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong, an increase of 56 percent from the previous year.
There is a big variety of mangoes sold at the Yujing mango wholesale market. (Image: Billy Shyu via Nspirement)
Also, the total amount of mango production in 2020 is expected to reach around 150,000 metric tons, and the total exports would amount to 9,400 metric tons, with an increase of about 17 percent, despite the outbreak of COVID-19.
Western mango cultivars introduced from the United States were successfully tested and grown in Yujing in 1961. (Image: Billy Shyu via Nspirement)
Please watch the following video of “Distinctive Mangoes in Taiwan.”
Distribution of mangoes
Mango is a tropical fruit crop and Taiwan’s mangoes are mainly grown in the country’s central and southern areas due to their ideal tropical growing conditions, with Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung considered the most expansive.
Apples (Ping-Guo-Wum) and mangoes are grown in Taiwan’s Tainan City. (Image: Billy Shyu via Nspirement)
Mango varieties
Mangoes cultivated in Taiwan are of good quality with different colors, sizes, and tastes. They can be divided into four major strains: Local (土芒果), Southeast Asian (南洋種), Improved (改良種), and Newly-Emerging (新興品系).
Ai Wen mangoes sold at Yujing Mango Wholesale Market. (Image: Julia Fu via Nspirement)
Local mangoes have a unique fragrance though it looks smaller and unattractive. Southeast Asia strains are characterized by White Mango (懷特), also known as Ivory Mango (象牙), and Black Incense Mango (黑香). Improved strains include Ai Wen Mango (愛文), Haydn Mango (海頓), Kate Mango (凱特), Sacred Heart Mango (聖心).
The Yujing mango wholesale market is a great place to buy quality mangoes. (Image: Billy Shyu via Nspirement)
As for newly-emerging strains, there are Jinhuang Mango (金煌), Tai Nong No.1 Mango (台農一號), Shanlin No.1 Mango (彬林一號), Yuwen No.6 Mango (玉文六號), Jinxing Mango (金興), Yulin Mango (玉林), Slow Love Mango (慢愛文), Hong Kate Mango (紅凱特), Jinwen Mango (金文), Jinmi Mango (金蜜), Honglong Mango (紅龍), Wenxin Mango (文心), Sacred Heart Mango (聖心), etc.
Mangoes cultivated in Tainan are of good quality with various strains and tastes. (Image: Billy Shyu via Nspirement)
Ai Wen mango
Ai Wen is the most striking mango variety in Taiwan. It is one of the 40-plus mango varieties introduced from the U.S. State of Florida in 1954. Within seven years of planting and domestication, Ai Wen stood out as its output was relatively stable, and its overall quality was very good.
Many mangoes and other seasonal fruits are sold on a truck outside the Yujing Mango Wholesale Market. (Image: Billy Shyu via Nspirement)
Ai Wen’s epidermis is an eye-catching red color and its flesh has a pleasing aroma that tastes sweet. Moreover, it is almost fiber-free, and its seeds are small and thin. As a result, not only is it popular among farmers, but it is highly favored by consumers as well.
Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng), is one of those ‘super’ fruits found to be rich in phytonutrients. (Image: Billy Shyu via Nspirement)
Hometown of mangoes
Yujing (玉井) is an agricultural district in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City, which has a total of 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres) of mango orchards. It is Taiwan’s biggest producer of mangoes, with an annual output of over 15,000 tons per year. It is thus referred to as the hometown of mangoes in Taiwan.
The Yujing Mango Wholesale Market is a popular destination for visitors when mangoes are in season from May to September. (Image: Billy Shyu / Nspirement)
The district is where the imported Ai Wen mango cultivars were first planted in 1962. Nowadays, about 45 percent of its mango orchards are used to grow Ai Wen mango, and Yujing is currently the most important producer of Ai Wen mango in Taiwan.
There are many other different types of fruit sold at the Yujing Mango Wholesale Market. (Image: Billy Shyu via Nspirement)
Yujing has earned itself a reputation for the hometown of the Aiwen Mango. To promote mango, Yujing Mango Cultural Festival has been held every year since 1999, and Yujing was also the location of the 2020 Tainan International Mango Festival.
There are various dried mangoes sold at the Yujing Mango Wholesale Market. (Image: Billy Shyu via Nspirement)
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