Episode
Fruit Wars!
- Podcast
- The Documentary Podcast
- Published
- Jul 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1596
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ny2ch3
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-documentary-podcast-487670/episodes/why-taiwan-and-malaysia-s-luxury-fruit-growers-have-a-complex-relationship-with-china/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-documentary-podcast-487670/why-taiwan-and-malaysia-s-luxury-fruit-growers-have-a-complex-relationship-with-china.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
The Atemoya Custard Apple is a much sought-after fruit grown only in one county in Taiwan. The Taiwanese are justly proud of it. Meanwhile, the Musang King Durian - grown in Malaysia - is also highly prized for its unique flavour as the ‘Hermes of Durians.’ Every year, fruit lovers across the region look out for these treats and snap them up where they can, often paying high prices. In recent years, farmers have seen opportunities to raise their income by selling these niche, super-luxury fruits on the Chinese market, but the strategy comes with big risks too. Koh Ewe from the BBC’s Singapore Bureau has been tracking the fortunes of these two fruits. A statue of Saint Olga is a much-loved figure in Central Kyiv, Ukraine. So much so, that when Russia invaded Ukraine, the statue was given a flak jacket with the words “she needs armour” written on it. Saint Olga of Kyiv is celebrated by Ukrainians and Russians alike. She’s a saint in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches and her saint’s day is celebrated on 11th July. BBC Ukrainian’s Irena Taranyuk explores her sometimes violent history. The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chave…