The Council of Agriculture (COA) yesterday said it would promote agricultural cooperation with four countries under the government’s “new southbound policy.”
The four countries have yet to be finalized, but will probably be Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia, council officials said, although they did not rule out other countries being included.
In a report on “new southbound agriculture” at a Cabinet meeting, the council said that the nation relies too heavily on the Chinese market for exports of its agricultural products and that it is urgent and necessary to diversify its markets.
Photo: CNA
The strategy will include maintaining existing export markets and actively tapping into emerging markets, such as ASEAN, South Asia, New Zealand and Australia, the council said.
Under the “new southbound agriculture,” the council will seek to increase business opportunities and contributions by investing in select countries’ agricultural industries and exporting agricultural machinery.
The goals will be to develop full cooperation in agriculture with the four countries and help agriculture enterprises set up at least 10 model farms in those countries, the council said.
In related news, the Agricultural Technology Research Institute (ATRI) on Saturday signed additional accords in agriculture cooperation with ASEAN members.
The government-sponsored ATRI inked memoranda of understanding on agricultural cooperation with the Asia Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce (ATCC) and Taiwanese investor associations from Cambodia, Laos and Brunei, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Since September, the ARTI, which has set its sights on closer ties with ASEAN, has signed similar cooperation agreements with Taiwanese investor associations in eight ASEAN countries designed to accelerate the pace of agricultural development.
In addition to Cambodia, Laos and Brunei, the institute has signed accords with Taiwanese investor associations based in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, the institute said.
New Southbound Policy Office Director James Huang (黃志芳), who witnessed the signing ceremony, on Tuesday said that agricultural cooperation and promotion is one of his office’s key policy areas.
ATCC head Lee Tien-chi (李天柒) said that he was glad to see the ATRI achieve so much in just a few of months in terms of promoting agricultural cooperation with ASEAN, adding that such efforts have strengthened exchanges between Taiwan and the region.
The agricultural sector is one of Taiwan’s economic strengths and the nation should take advantage of its expertise to forge closer relationships with ASEAN members, many of which are focused on agricultural development, Lee said.
Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱), a Democratic Progressive Party legislator from Pingtung County who also attended the signing ceremony, said that he hoped the government would introduce Pingtung’s agricultural development to ASEAN as a model for development, as the county is one of Taiwan’s most important agricultural areas.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS