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Taichung set to push agriculture

Taichung County, one of the nation’s biggest producers of niche agricultural products, will exhibit its fruit and vegetables at an international food show in Malaysia in search of more international buyers, a local official said yesterday.

The county government will display 43 special agricultural products, including pears, lychees, mushrooms, taros, grapes and sweet potatoes that have been grown in the county’s 12 townships, a county official said.

Agriculture plays an important role in the central county’s economy, as over 55 percent of its flat land and sloped areas are cultivated.

The county hopes that its participation at the annual Malaysia International Food and Beverage Trade Fair, to be held in Kuala Lumpur from Thursday to Saturday, will expand its agricultural exports.

The event, expected to feature 200 exhibitors from 30 countries covering 450 booths this year, provides an opportunity for farmers from around the world to introduce their farm produce directly to potential buyers, such as food manufacturers, food retailers, caterers, restaurant and hotel owners, and wholesalers.

The county government has aggressively marketed its agricultural produce overseas since 2003 to create more commercial opportunities and provide a stable income for the county’s farmers.

Those efforts have yielded positive results as the county’s agricultural exports have grown considerably over the past three years, from 310 tonnes in 2005, to 711 tonnes in 2006 and 1,120 tonnes last year, the official said.

Meanwhile, a 50-member delegation from Kaohsiung City, led by Council Speaker Chuang Chi-wang (莊啟旺), will head later this week to Guangzhou in China’s Guangdong Province on a tourism promotion tour.

Chuang said that the delegation, comprising officials, councilors and business leaders, is scheduled to leave for Guangzhou on Saturday to conduct a five-day tourism promotion tour.

“I hope the visit will help entice more Chinese tourists into using the port city as their points of entry and departure to boost local tourism revenues,” Chuang said.
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