Business · Companies · 3 hrs ago
Japanese chrysanthemum farmer switches to growing finger limes
Akina Suzuki has switched from chrysanthemums to finger limes at her farm in Tahara, in central Japan's Aichi Prefecture.
Finger limes are an Australian fruit with small, colorful beads of citrus pulp inside their long, narrow skin.
Declining demand for chrysanthemums put her business under pressure, alongside rising labor and material costs.
Smaller funerals during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the drop in demand for the flowers.
Suzuki began growing finger limes in her existing greenhouses in 2023 and learned how to care for the unfamiliar trees through trial and error.
She now grows about 230 trees across 20 varieties and expects to harvest about 50 kilograms this year, roughly the same as last year.
She is promoting the fruit through restaurants, tastings and direct sales, but getting more consumers to know it remains a challenge.
Suzuki hopes to sell carefully grown finger limes around the world, while other farmers in Tahara have also started growing them.
Akina Suzuki, a 42-year-old farmer in Tahara, Japan, has switched from growing chrysanthemums to finger limes.
She began cultivating the Australian fruit in 2023 as demand for chrysanthemums declined and farming costs rose.
Suzuki now has around 230 trees producing about 20 varieties and expects to harvest about 50 kilograms this year.
She sells the fruit directly to restaurants and customers, but raising consumer awareness remains a challenge.
Other farmers in Tahara have also started growing finger limes, raising hopes the fruit could become a local specialty.
- Who
- Akina Suzuki, a 42-year-old farmer, has switched to cultivating finger limes.
- What
- She has moved from chrysanthemum farming to growing finger limes.
- When
- Suzuki began cultivating finger limes in 2023.
- Where
- Tahara, in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.
- Why
- Demand for chrysanthemums has declined, while labor and material costs have risen. Suzuki wanted to try something new using her existing greenhouses.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Suzuki began cultivating finger limes.
Suzuki expected to harvest about 50 kilograms, roughly matching the previous year's production.
- Farmer
- Akina Suzuki, 42
- Location
- Tahara, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
- Cultivation began
- 2023
- Finger lime trees
- Around 230
- Varieties
- About 20
- Expected harvest
- About 50 kilograms in 2026
What people are saying
It's a texture you won't find in any other fruit.
I wanted to do something new with my chrysanthemum greenhouses.
But with finger limes, I sell directly to restaurants and customers. Being able to see their reactions makes it fun and rewarding.
Eventually, I'd like to sell my finger limes around the world, making sure they're carefully grown and of the highest quality.