What is Freedom Pineapple Movement?

The Foreign Minister of Taiwan, Joseph Wu, recently launched a “Freedom Pineapple” campaign on Twitter in order to condemn the politically-driven ban on the import of pineapples from Taiwan by China. The Taiwanese pineapples have also become a political symbol in the region following the ban.

About Freedom Pineapple

Freedom pineapples is a political and social response against the Chinese ban on import of pineapples from Taiwan. The Chinese government has banned the import of Pineapples from Taiwan just before the season for pineapple was started in the year 2021. The government has banned the import stating that the imports done in the previous instances had been contaminated with pests. However, this was denied by experts, producers, and the government of Taiwan. The movement’s name is inspired from a “Play on Freedom Fries” which is named as the “Freedom pineapples”.

How Taiwan Responded to ban?

After facing the ban, the Taiwanese government had asked its citizens and other diplomatic allies to increase their consumption of “Freedom Pineapples”. The government has also promised to provide financial assistance to any farmers who will undergo losses because of the ban. The President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, has also launched a social media campaign named “Eat Taiwan’s pineapples until you burst,”. This campaign was launched to encourage its citizens to increase their consumption of local pineapples. The Restaurants in Taiwan also incorporated pineapple into their dishes.

How the farmers responded?

The Taiwanese farmers have started diverting the non-pineapple exports from China to other markets because of they are concerned that their product could be banned next.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2021