Taiwan has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Poland to promote cooperation in the agricultural sector, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said.
Poland is the fourth European nation to sign an agreement on agricultural cooperation with Taiwan, following the Netherlands, France and Hungary, COA Department of International Affairs deputy head Lin Chia-jung (林家榮) said.
The agreement was signed by Taiwan’s Representative to Poland Henry Chen (陳銘政) in Warsaw on Tuesday last week, after Poland’s Representative to Taiwan Maciej Artur Gaca signed it in Taipei on June 21 on behalf of their respective governments, Lin said.
The MOU, which encourages information and experience sharing between the two nations, is part of Taiwan’s efforts to build closer ties with agricultural hubs in Europe, where the nation hopes to forge more partnerships, Lin said.
According to the MOU, Taiwan and Poland are to work to establish a negotiation mechanism in the agricultural sector, Lin said.
They will also share their experiences in agricultural development, exchange information on food inspections and regulations governing animal and plant health quarantines, and deepen cooperation on food safety, he said.
Lin said the two nations will likely hold a meeting next year to discuss further proposals for agricultural cooperation and exchanges.
The nation has been pursuing agricultural partnerships with other countries to expand its markets, because there are fewer obstacles to negotiating them than signing free-trade agreements, which involves challenges regarding tariffs and open markets, Lin said.
Taiwan has also been negotiating agricultural cooperation MOUs with nations targeted by the government’s New Southbound Policy, he said.
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