Persimmon season has arrived, and farmers around the island are busy harvesting the fruit. Due to weather conditions, Chienshih and Wufeng's persimmon harvests have plummeted by 50% and 30%, respectively. Prices have therefore risen 20%.

Persimmon farmers in Hsinchu's Chienshih Township rip off the protective fruit covers as they harvest their fruit.

After the persimmons are weighed, they are packaged into containers.

The area's persimmon harvest was halved this year due to typhoons and unstable weather conditions, but farmers are grateful that the fruit was already 80% ripe when the summer's storms hit, and that the typhoons not only didn't affect the quality of the persimmons, but made them sweeter.

Hsinchu's Chienshih and Wufeng Townships are considered ideal places for persimmon planting because of their high altitude and the dramatic shift in temperature during the day.

As this year's supply is lower than in years past, prices have risen by around 20%.