News

To promote the "Local Production and Consumption" and the "Enjoy Local Fresh" policies, the Nantou County Government, in collaboration with the Xinyi Township Farmers’  Association, hosted the opening ceremony of the "2025 Nantou Plum Festival – Spring Harvest Celebration" event on March 29th at the Dream Works of the Mei (梅子夢工廠). The event attracted over 500 participants, who engaged in hands-on activities such as crisp plum-making workshops, agricultural food education, cooking demonstrations showcasing plum-based dishes, and interactive exhibits organized by local institutions. Deputy County Mayor Wang Rui-De attended the event, joining participants in the festivities. He announced that plum festival activities will continue until May 10th and invited visitors from across Taiwan to Nantou to enjoy the season of plums.

Deputy County Mayor Wang emphasized that plums are a key economic crop of Nantou County. The cultivation area spans approximately 856 hectares, accounting for one-quarter of Taiwan’s total plum production, with an annual yield of 3,651 tons. The primary production areas include Xinyi Township, Shuili Township, Guoxing Township, and Renai Township, collectively known as the "Homeland of Plums." Nantou's plum harvest season runs from late March to early May. These plums are processed into various products such as crisp plums, chewy pickled plums, perilla plums, aged plums, plum vinegar, plum wine, and plum extract. Wang encouraged everyone to participate in the festival and explore the diverse benefits of plums.

This year’s festival continues the theme from the 2024 "Snow Trek to Plums – Painting and Stories of Plums" event. Attendees were invited to vote on selected artworks of plum trees and blossoms, with the results combined with online votes collected earlier via the Dream Works of the Mei Facebook page. Deputy County Mayor Wang and Xinyi Township Farmers’ Association Chairman Huang Chih-Hui presented awards to the winners.

Chairman Huang highlighted that the Plum Festival runs from March 29 to May 10. Every Saturday at 2:30 PM, the "Chef Ku’s Fresh Cookery" sessions will be held at the Elders' Voice Gift Shop. Chef Ku Shin-Wei, the national champion of the Rural Cuisine Contest, will prepare plum-inspired specialty dishes for guests to enjoy, available in limited quantities. Huang encouraged everyone to participate and immerse themselves in the rich aroma of plum wine and the cultural charm of Plum Homeland.

County Councilors Chen Shu-Hui and Huang Chun-Lin also attended the event, participating in the DIY crisp plum-making workshop. They shared that this year’s plum harvest in Nantou is considered the best in a decade, with aged plums becoming increasingly fragrant and flavorful over time. They encouraged fans of green plums, plum vinegar, and plum extract to take the opportunity to purchase these high-quality products and savor the crisp freshness of green plums and the mellow richness of aged yellow plums.

Additionally, various organizations, including the Xinyi Township Farmers’ Association, Shuili Township Farmers’ Association, Guoxing Township Farmers’ Association, Renai Township Farmers’ Association, Nantou County Farmers’ Association, Nantou County Agricultural Cooperative Association, Renai Indigenous Fruit Tree Production Cooperative, and Xinyi Vegetable and Fruit Production Cooperative, are hosting DIY workshops across Taiwan during the plum harvest season. These workshops include activities such as making crisp plums, chewy perilla plums, and plum vinegar, providing participants with hands-on experiences to explore the versatility of plums.