Taoyuan’s Only Pomelo Farmer Turns Difficult Red Soil into Premium Fruit

For more than five decades, Yang Ming-hsing has worked to make Guanyin’s red soil suitable for premium pomelos. Now 78, he remains the only pomelo farmer in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District.

Yang bought farmland there after leaving a construction-hardware job in New Taipei City. He disliked a lifestyle built around social engagements and gradually moved into semi-retirement farming, following the example of his father, who had also grown pomelos.

The local soil drains well but holds fertilizer poorly. Yang responded by focusing on soil improvement and rational fertilization, applying more than 30 tonnes of organic fertilizer each year. His four-fen orchard contains trees that are all more than 50 years old, and the average harvest reaches 10,000 Taiwanese jin.

Yang said sunlight, soil, water and cultivation management all affect the harvest period and fruit quality. A change in any one of those conditions can affect the crop. This year’s longer plum-rain season is expected to cut production by about 20%, although prices remain around NT$70 per jin.

The Guanyin Farmers’ Association says it supports farmers with safe production practices, rational pesticide use and traceability QR codes. Consumers can scan the codes to learn about the producer, origin and production process.

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The quality of pomelos is closely connected to sunlight, soil, water sources and cultivation management. If any one condition changes, it may affect the harvest period and fruit quality.