Some mainland Chinese traders have asked Taiwan farmers to suspend shipments of Java apples, spooked by fears that Beijing’s ban on imports of pineapples from the self-ruled island may spread to other categories of produce in its US$3.6 billion fruit industry.

Many farmers saw the traders’ requests, made on Sunday, as a signal that Java apples could be the next target in Beijing’s trade campaign, said the Liouguei Township Farmers’ Association in southern Kaohsiung city.

China announced last week that it would stop importing pineapples from Taiwan from Monday, citing the discovery of pests in shipments last year. Taipei has accused Beijing of acting illegally and without justification, calling the trade restrictions a smokescreen to hide its true motives — to punish the island amid worsening political ties.

The suspension on Java apple deliveries came from individual mainland buyers concerned about possible losses due to uncertainty in the cross-strait fruit trade, rather than any official measures from Beijing, said Taiwan’s agricultural minister Chen Chi-chung, who urged farmers to stay calm and continue to focus on maintaining the quality of their produce.

Java apples are one of Taiwan’s five biggest export fruits, and cover more than 5,000 hectares (12,300 acres) of farmland, according to government data.

The Liouguei district in Kaohsiung accounts for 400 hectares of Java apple farms. One of the varieties produced there caters almost entirely to the mainland market and can reap NT$1 billion (US$35 million) a year in revenue.

Any disruption to trade in Java apples could strike a deadly blow to Taiwan farmers, as the six-month peak season for exports of the fruit will begin in April, said Kaohsiung legislator Chu Hsin-chiang.

Besides Java apples, there were concerns in Taiwan that Beijing might target mangoes and sugar apples to pile pressure on the island. Taiwan’s farmers produce about NT$100 billion of fruit a year, according to the most recent government yearbook.

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