Retired cop grows durian from family’s betel nut plantation

Retired cop grows durian from family’s betel nut plantation

2026-10-09

Durian, known for its pungent aroma, has typically been imported into Taiwan from Southeast Asia. But one retired police officer decided to take a crack at growing the King of the Fruits after returning to his hometown. He chopped down the betel nut trees on his family’s Pingtung farm and planted durian instead. Over the first three years he overcame many technical challenges and natural disasters to welcome his first harvest. Now, his farm boasts a stable output.

The food that has these tasters unable to contain themselves is durian, the famously aromatic King of the Fruits.

At this orchard tucked away in Pingtung’s Linluo Township, fruit hangs from row after row of durian trees. Each one is tied to the branch to keep it from falling and smashing on the ground once it ripens. The owner is Hsu Chun-ming, a retired police officer.

Hsu Chun-ming
Durian farmer
From when I was a child to when I returned home, we’ve always grown betel nut here. After retiring I wanted to make a change, so I thought about it for a while. I wanted to find something more challenging that also has high economic value.

Hsu saw that betel nut prices were steadily declining and was no longer viable as a cash crop, but struggled for a long time over what to grow instead. It was a casual suggestion from his durian-loving wife that eventually led him to try out growing this notoriously challenging fruit.

Hsu’s wife
Durian farmer
He could only figure it out through trial and error, since he couldn’t find a set method. The failure rate for the first batch was about 90% in terms of survival. But the second round grew very well.

Hsu Chun-ming
Durian farmer
It’s been just over five years since I started growing durian. Each tree yields about 10 fruits. Based on average market prices currently, the return is about 10 times that of betel nut.

Overcoming climate and technical challenges, Hsu’s orchard now boasts 88 trees with premium varieties including Musang King, black thorn, and wild durian. With their excellent quality and rich flavor, Hsu’s durian has become the pride of Linluo.

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#Pingtung #durian #farming #fruit #betelnut #familyfarm #agriculture #kingoffruits

屏東檳榔園變榴槤園退休警種出”頂級水果之王"

2026-10-09

水果之王”榴槤"，天生自帶濃郁的香氣，過去在台灣吃到的榴槤都是賴東南亞進口為主，屏東縣有一位退休警察多年前回到故鄉，決定砍掉自家種植的檳榔樹，挑戰種植榴槤，一路走來終於克服技術與天災，讓果樹在第三年就開花結果，如今更達到穩定產量。

讓試吃民眾驚呼連連的，就是這散發濃郁香氣的金黃果肉”榴槤"。

位在屏東麟洛鄉的榴槤果園，隨處可見樹上掛著一顆顆待成熟的果實，用繩子加固綁在樹枝上，這是為了防止果實成熟後，掉落摔壞了，果園主人就是這名退休警察徐俊明。

[[果農徐俊明]]
“從小年輕一直到我回家，這邊的產業一直都是種植檳榔，退休之後是不是要做一些改變呢，所以左思右想，還是找一個比較有挑戰性，而且它的經濟價值還蠻高的”

眼看檳榔價格逐漸下滑，已經不是經濟作物，但要改種什麼，也掙扎過許久，後來是因為太太愛吃榴槤，隨口一句建議，才決定放手嘗試挑戰水果之王。

[[果農徐俊明太太]]
“只能靠自己摸索，因為找不到辦法，他第一批種的有失敗，機率大概百分之九十，存活的機率，那第二批他就種得很好了”

[[果農徐俊明]]
“種植到現在剛滿五年多一點，它平均掛果都有超過十顆左右，如果依目前的市場價格來衡量，或許已經超過檳榔的十倍以上了”

克服氣候與技術的限制，現在果園內共有88顆榴槤樹，品種涵蓋貓山王、黑刺以及山榴槤等頂級品種，品質好、風味濃郁，成為另類的"麟洛之光"。

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