Milk products that are imported from overseas are ultra heat-treated or sterilized and processed in such a way that they can be stored for periods ranging from six months to two years, and therefore carry lower nutritive value than fresh milk, Wu said.
However, Taisugar's recent decision to discontinue the shuttle train between the Paweng Dairy Zone and Hsinyin Town at the end of this year may again jeopardize local businesses, said Lee Chung-jung (
In recent years, Taisugar has made use of its old railway lines in the county to develop local tourism businesses in different towns. The company decided to close the track to the Paweng Dairy Zone because it wants to focus its resources on another track bound for a less-developed town nearby, Lee said.
"The railway line plays a key role in bringing in a large number of tourists so that we can keep our local industries and preserve our cultural heritage," Lee said. "We have appealed to Taisugar to maintain the operation of the line and hope to get a positive response soon."
For his part, Wu is unconcerned by the developments and said that he is confident that he will be able to protect his family business.
Wu said Commander's Dairy Farm has weathered several major crises aside from the impact of Taiwan's joining the WTO, including the challenge of switching from manual labor to an industrialized manufacturing process during the 1970s and a major cattle-disease outbreak during the 1980s.
"Crises always bring opportunities," Wu said. "Having come so far in the past 30 years, I believe we can meet any challenges that lie ahead."
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