local market. Cultivation grew from 506 hectares in 2011 to 1,149 hectares in 2020 due to rising popularity. Bananas Bananas are Taiwan's most important export fruit. The Taiwan Banana Research Institute is tasked to undergo research and development of banana cultivation in Taiwan. Citrus By 1984 there were 34,000 hectares of citrus orchards in Taiwan annual yields of 360,000 metric tons with mandarin oranges and tangerines leading in production. In 2008 a glut in orange production forced the export of surplus fruit to China. President Ma Ying-jeou even personally contributing $80,000 NTD to support an orchard in Gukeng township in Yunlin County as a result of the glut. The average pomelo harvest is 74,000 tonnes. Pomelos are exported to China and Japan. Tainan is a major pomelo growing area. Greenpeace has warned that global warming could negatively impact Taiwanese pomelo production. In 2018 there were 2,737 hectares of lemons in cultivation with 1,820 of those located in Pingtung County. Taiwan produces a small amount of Australian finger lime. In 2022 China blocked the importation of Taiwanese citrus due to tensions over the 2022 visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. This affected the pomelo industry in particular due to the ban's timing and its exposure to the Chinese market. Custard apples Production of custard apples in concentrated in Taitung County, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung County. Annual production is 57,000 metric tons. Historically, 23% of production was exported to China, but Chinese authorities banned new imports of Taiwanese custard apples in 2021. Dragonfruit Pingtung is the center of dragonfruit cultivation which is known locally as pitaya. Academic Yen Chung-Ruey is known as Taiwan's “Father of Pitaya.” Most of the production is consumed domestically but dragonfruit are also exported to Canada, China and Hong Kong. Guavas Guavas are a significant product with a little over half of exports going to Canada, in 2019 Taiwan received permission to export guavas to the United States for the first time. Mangos Mangos have been cultivated in Taiwan for more than 400 years. For the last fifty years the market has been dominated by the Irwin mango. The Irwin mango was first grown in Taiwan in 1962 by Cheng Han-chih (鄭罕池) in Douliuzai Village, Yujing District, Tainan. In 1973 the government designated Douliuzai Village as a mango special agricultural zone. By the 1970s the residents of Douliuzai Village were known for their wealth due to mango cultivation. Cheng