Qiongao City – The devastation of Typhoon No. 18 Haiying, which hit the eastern coast of Bai, then swept across the Qiongzhu Islands last month, still have resounding effects on the island province. While the province recovers from the damages caused by the storm, disruptions to the economy can be felt throughout Bai.
Xie Plantations Company, Inc. mentioned in a press release Wednesday that the damages caused by the Typhoon to its plantations around the islands in Qiongzhu is still being cleaned up. “Supply disruptions of fresh pineapples and sugar canes are to be expected until the end of the month”, said Xie Plantation CEO Xie Shuiliang during a press conference Thursday, urging consumers to stay patient and distributers to keep prices under control. “We guarantee a swift recovery to the best of our abilities”, added Mr. Xie.
Meanwhile, the lack of pineapples from Qiongzhu are already rearing its head in supermarkets around the country. “I just wanted to get some pineapples for our family tonight, but I came to empty shelves”, said Mrs. Wang, a customer interviewed in a Bai&Large in Xiongjing. “The Qiongzhu pineapple cakes and pineapple juice are also almost sold out”, added Mrs. Wang, citing a state of panic to purchase everything pineapple before supplies run out.
In a show of good faith, Xie Plantations Company has urged consumers to seek other types of fresh pineapples to consume. However, this did not do much to change the public opinion on the choice of pineapples. When asked why Mrs. Wang won’t purchase the perfectly good pineapples grown outside Qiongzhu Province, fully in stock beside the empty shelves of Qiongzhu Pineapples, she replied “of course Qiongzhu pineapples are the way to go, if I were to buy pineapples they would have to come from that place.”
Experts do not expect major disruptions in the supply of famous Qiongzhu Pineapple Cakes and other types of processed pineapple goods, citing the existence of pineapple stock used for processing from before the storm. A Xie Plantations Company press release has also urged the consumers to not panic buy as the supplies of processed pineapples, such as Qiongzhu Pineapple Cakes, are “still going strong and disruptions are not forecasted.”
The Qiongzhu Provincial Government, along with Qiongao City Government, together pledged to secure the freshest batch of pineapples for the annual Qiongao Pineapple Festival on December 1st.
“We will not let disaster stop our favourite festival”, said Qiongao City mayor Zhang Lijiang, citing the cultural and economical significance of the festival to the city and province. The festival organizers has pledged donations of 50% of proceeds to the natural disaster prevention fund of the province, unprecedented in the history of the festival. A candlelight vigil is also planned during the festival in memory of the victims of the storm.
