Farmers have been growing and drying persimmons in Taiwan for centuries, with dried persimmon cakes a popular gift during the Lunar New Year period in particular. But typhoons and rising temperatures brought about by climate change are putting a strain on farmers and their crops.
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00:00Carrying on a time-honored tradition, 68-year-old Lu Lijian's family has been making persimmon
00:08cakes for over a century here at their orchard in northern Taiwan.
00:14Every winter, they lay out pitted and flattened persimmons on circular wire racks to dry in
00:19the wind and sun, a traditional technique used by the country's Hakka community.
00:25I started making persimmon cakes here when I was a child, and it's been over 100 years
00:32now.
00:33The climate here is very special, and the wind is very strong, so it's very dry.
00:42It's in this region that 90% of Taiwan's dried persimmon cakes are processed.
00:47They're a popular gift, especially during Lunar New Year.
00:50Much of what Lu dries out comes from other farms, like that of Luo Zhineng, who delivers
00:57truckloads of the fruit nearly every day.
01:01But he says the past 12 months have been tough.
01:03Taiwan's persimmon growing season usually lasts from September to December.
01:08But in 2024, two powerful typhoons made landfall in October, a first in the country's recorded
01:15history, devastating Luo's livelihood.
01:18The typhoon had a big impact on our production.
01:21The leaves were too big.
01:22The typhoon blew, and the leaves fell off.
01:27When the leaves fell off, there was no more fruit, so the fruit fell off.
01:32Luo says his crop yield has dropped by at least a third compared to previous years,
01:37losing him over 30,000 U.S. dollars in revenue.
01:41What's more, he says warming temperatures meant some of his trees that withstood the
01:45typhoons didn't bloom and produce fruit.
01:482024 was Taiwan's hottest year on record, and agriculture officials say climate change
01:54will only continue to aggravate matters.
02:15To offset this year's deficit from the low fruit supply, Luo Lijian's family plan to
02:27sell dyes made from persimmon skins, and to even use the seeds and peels to make skin
02:32care products.
02:34Like other farmers, Luo continues to make do with what he can, earning a living by carrying
02:38out an age-old tradition, despite the looming threat of climate change.
02:44Howard Zhang and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.