Pingtung farmer grows 5 kilogram giant taro

Pingtung farmer grows 5 kilogram giant taro

2024-06-19

Taro found in markets is usually about the size of one’s palm. But in Jiouru, Pingtung, there is one farmer who grows giant taro thicker than her forearm. With one root weighing around 5 kilograms, it looks like a missile. But how exactly is “grandma’s giant taro” grown? Let’s find out.

Walking through 77-year-old Liu Pan Hsiu-lan’s taro field is like being in a jungle. With plants this tall, it takes skill to cut off the leaves and stems and harvest the root. What kind of taro takes so much effort to harvest?

You saw it right. These taro roots are 40 centimeters tall and thicker than one’s forearm. These are grandma’s giant taros. Each one weighs around 5 kilograms on average, with the smallest being at least 3.

Liu Pan is almost too modest to reveal the secret to how she grows her giant taro.

Liu Pan Hsiu-lan
Taro farmer
I just grow them casually. I have free time in my old age, so I thought I would try growing them my own way. It takes love to grow things, like raising kids. If you take good care of it, it will grow big.

She raises taro like children, fertilizing the crop three to four times during its nine-month growing period. Concerted research by the local farmers’ association has discovered that planting in rotation, increasing the space between plants, and using organic compost are all ways to grow larger taro.

Kung Tai-wen
Jiouru Farmers’ Association director
This taro is more likely to be used. We also found that she used organic fertilizer with high levels of phosphate and potassium. By using the right fertilizer and planting in rotation, she found the best cultivation technique.

Grandma’s giant taro can be steamed or made into taro balls, and is ideal for hot pot. She’s proven that crops infused with a grandma’s love really are different.

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