The nation’s exports of fruits and vegetables have grown significantly this year compared with the same time last year, with Japan being the top destination for Taiwanese produce, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday.
Produce exports for the first five months of this year totaled US$1.92 billion, up 23.19 percent from the same time last year, said Chang Su-san (張淑賢), director-general of the council’s Department of International Affairs.
Chang said agriculture exports totaled US$3.9 billion last year, with Japan as the top destination (23 percent), followed by China (13.2 percent), Hong Kong (11 percent) and the US (10.1 percent).
The top destinations remain roughly the same, with Japan topping the list with 49 percent of exported goods, followed by the US (16 percent), China (7.5 percent) and Hong Kong (7.4 percent).
JAPAN
Chang also said that exports of agricultural products to Japan have grown despite the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis.
Fruit and vegetable shipments to Japan for the first five months of this year totaled US$450.4 million, up 15 percent from the same time last year.
For example, exports of carrots totaled 4,797 tonnes, up 133 percent from the same time last year. Cabbage shipments were also up by 57 percent to 2,195 tonnes, Chang said.
CHINA
Meanwhile, exports of produce to China have grown by 44 percent to a total of US$276 million so far this year.
Chang attributed the growth to the inclusion of agricultural products in the “early harvest” list of goods and services under the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed between Taiwan and China in June last year.
According to the council’s statistics, exports to China of grouper totaled 3,455.6 tonnes, up 6.7 times from the same time last year. Exports of Pacific saury totaled 1,401.51 tonnes, which was 5.18 times more than last year.
However, exports of oranges, bananas and golden mushrooms dropped during the first five months this year, with exports of oranges down 78 percent compared with the same time last year, the council’s statistics show.
Chang attributed the large drop in orange exports to the absence of an emergency purchase agreement with China this year. Last year’s large fruit harvest resulted in an oversupply in the market, which China then agreed to purchase.
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