Popular tapioca import volume surges Popular among young people August 29 12:39

Last month tapioca imports surged more than five times compared to the same month last year. The background is the growing popularity of tapioca drinks among young people.

According to last month's trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, the import volume of “Tapioca” and “Tapioca substitute” was 1798 tons last month, a 5.1-fold increase compared to the same month last year.

The import amount is more than 577 million yen, which is also 5.9 times higher than the same month last year.

Looking at where imported from Taiwan, Taiwan is the largest, accounting for 88% of the total, followed by Thailand and Malaysia.

Tapioca is made from cassava plant starch, and tapioca drinks in milk tea are gaining popularity, especially among young people who use SNS.

For this reason, imports have increased rapidly since the spring of this year, and the import volume for the seven months to last month has exceeded 6200 tons, increasing 4.5 times compared to the same period last year.

Future imports are likely to depend on how long the tapioca boom will last.