Hot-selling dragon fruit "Taipei Hope Plaza" starts selling this weekend

To promote the hot-selling agricultural products in summer, the Council of Agriculture's Department of Agriculture and Food set up the "Taipei Hope Plaza" at No. 49, Section 1, Bade Road, Taipei City this weekend. The Nantou County Government will host an exhibition and promotion activity centered on dragon fruit. It will also offer honey lemon juice tastings, and free cold spring water kiwifruit with purchases. The content is exciting and consumers in the Greater Taipei area are welcome to visit and purchase.

Red dragon fruit, also known as pitaya or fairy honey fruit, not only contains carotene, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamins, but also contains plant albumin which is rare in general plants. (Photo courtesy of the Council of Agriculture)

Su Maoxiang, chief secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Food, said that red dragon fruit, also known as pitaya or fairy honey fruit, not only contains carotene, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamins, but also contains plant albumin, anthocyanins and water-soluble dietary fiber that are rare in general plants, which have a protective effect on the stomach wall. In addition, there are no major diseases and pests during the domestic cultivation process, and farmers rarely use pesticides for control. It is a healthy, safe, nutritious and uniquely flavored high-quality summer fruit.

Dragon fruit is cultivated throughout Taiwan, covering an area of ​​more than 800 hectares and producing about 20,000 metric tons. Nantou County ranks third in the country in terms of production, with Jiji being the main production area. The appearance of the red dragon fruit is quite pleasing, and it is an emerging fruit in recent years. Domestic red dragon fruit can be divided into red flesh and white flesh varieties, while those imported from Vietnam are all white flesh varieties.

In addition, the scales of imported dragon fruit are more raised, and due to storage and transportation requirements, they are harvested when they are 70% to 80% ripe. The skin is lighter in color and less sweet, which is obviously different from the domestic dragon fruit, which is harvested when it is fully ripe, has a brighter skin, is sweeter, and is more fresh. When purchasing, consumers can easily determine whether it is domestic dragon fruit.

The Department of Agriculture and Food said that on the weekend of July 21 and 22, the plaza will not only display and sell Nantou's high-quality red dragon fruit, pineapples, bananas, fresh mushrooms, alpine vegetables and longan-related agricultural products, but will also host honey lemon juice and pineapple fresh fruit tasting, "sauce pineapple" DIY and bee ecology teaching activities.

To thank consumers for their support of the exhibition and sales, anyone who purchases domestic agricultural products in the square will receive a bunch of cold spring water kiwi. The daily quantity is limited to 200 bunches, and the gift will be given away while stocks last. The agency emphasized that the activities at the plaza this week are rich and interesting, and are very suitable for the whole family to visit and shop together. It urged people in the Greater Taipei area not to miss this event (travel information: MRT Bannan Line Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station Exit 1 or 4, next to Guanghua Shopping Center).