The construction of an agricultural biotech industrial park in Pingtung is expected to be completed in March next year, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday.
Officials said that 21 manufacturers have passed the screening process to enter the park, with three others still being assessed.
To cope with the impact on agriculture caused by Taiwan's entry into the WTO in January 2002, the COA, the Council for Economic Planning and Development and other government agencies have been heavily promoting the agricultural biotech park.
Agriculture-heavy Pingtung County was chosen as the location of the park because its agricultural, forestry, fishery and poultry production sectors have been ranked among the best in the country.
The park will cover around 233 hectares and the total cost of construction will be around NT$2.46 billion (US$78.09 million).
The development of an agricultural biotech industrial park is part of the government's plan to transform the nation into a biotech hub in the Asia-Pacific region. Under the plan, the government proposes to set up a biotechnology complex inside the Hsinchu Science Park, a national flower park in central Changhua County, an orchid biotech park for southern Tainan County and an ocean biotech park in eastern Ilan County.
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