Taiwan’s Mitagri Co (台農發) on Friday signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Japan’s Farmind Corp, with the aim of exporting Taiwanese bananas, pineapples and other agricultural products to Japan.
Mitagri’s chariman Chen Yu-jan (陳郁然) signed the LOI with Farmind’s representative in Tokyo, while Council of Agriculture (COA) Deputy Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) also attended the ceremony as a witness.
Japan exports about 40,000 tonnes of fruit per year, 65 percent of which are exported to Taiwan, Chen said, adding that the two nations could become complementary trade partners given that they produce varied fruits in different seasons.
The two companies agreed to purchase up to ￥10 billion (US$89.43 million) of each other’s produce over five years, COA Department of International Affairs Deputy Director-General Lin Chia-jung (林家榮) said.
Meanwhile, the council on Thursday announced that the nation is to halt importing apples from South Africa, as a highly procreative pest, the codling moth, was found in an imported apple.
Codling moths are a pest that attack apples, pears, plums and other fruits grown on trees. It has been found in countries such as the US, Japan, Chile, but is still alien to Taiwan.
This is the first time in 30 years that such a pest was found in apples imported from South Africa, Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Deputy Director-General Feng Hai-tung (馮海東) said.
A total of 1,176 boxes of apples, about 21,462kg, are to be returned to South Africa or destroyed, depending on the exporter’s decision, Feng said.
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