The first batch of 10 tonnes of Taiwanese tilapia (吳郭魚) has recently returned to the EU market, marking the comeback of the popular fish to Europe after a hiatus of two years, a government official said on Friday.
The 10 tonnes of cultured fish from Taiwan cleared Belgian customs on its way to Holland several days ago, serving as a benchmark for the return of Taiwanese farm and agricultural exports to the stringently controlled EU market, a Council of Agriculture (COA) spokesman said.
According to the COA official, more containers of frozen Taiwanese tilapia are already en route or waiting to be shipped to Belgium for export to Holland. He expressed confidence that the produce will pass quarantine inspections by Belgian customs officials and added that exports this year will hit a new high.
Taiwanese exports of tilapia to the EU were halted in March 2003 after some shipments were discovered to contain excessive amounts of chemical residue.
The COA has since set up a strict inspection process and has assisted local fish breeders to maintain qualified operations, the official said, adding that the council also sent personnel to EU member states to gain first-hand understanding of the EU's quarantine procedures in an effort to establish its own tracking and scrutinizing mechanisms for high-quality locally raised tilapia.
Tilapia is one of the four farm products that has been selected by the COA in its campaign to promote Taiwanese produce exports overseas.
Last year, the export value and volume of Taiwanese tilapia amounted to US$53.2 million and 40,570 tonnes, respectively. The US, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Kuwait and Japan were the major foreign markets.
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