A national delegation of farmers has secured more than NT$2.37 billion (US$76.69 million) of orders at Foodex Japan, Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Chen has been involved in a spat with Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) about promoting exports since a disagreement in 2017, when the council asked Han to resign from his post as general manager at Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co (台北農產運銷公司).
The two have also bickered about agricultural issues since Han became mayor on Dec. 25 last year.
Photo: CNA
The council on Tuesday led a delegation of more than 140 to Foodex Japan, which ended yesterday, and 22 groups exhibiting at the council’s pavilion secured NT$2.37 billion of orders as of Thursday, Chen said.
That figure would be higher if the orders secured by other Taiwanese exhibitors outside the pavilion are added, he added.
Asked by reporters if the council has become more proactive since the dispute with Han, Chen said the achievement was the result of the joint efforts of Taiwanese businesses and government agencies, and that the council is more concerned about farmers making money than taking credit for the achievement.
Among the orders secured in Japan, Kaohsiung-based Chishan Association of Fruits and Vegetables Distribution signed a three-year contract to sell 9,000 tonnes of bananas to Wismettac Asian Foods Inc, he said.
Mitagri Co (台農發) signed a memorandum of understanding with Funasho Shoji Co for an order of 1,000 tonnes of bananas, he added.
Fisheries groups secured orders totaling NT$1.8 billion, involving the export of tuna, bream, striped bass and Sakura shrimps, Chen said.
The nation’s agricultural exports to Japan totaled US$920 million last year and they are expected to reach US$1 billion this year, Chen said, adding that Japan is the second-largest importer of Taiwanese agricultural products after the US.
Meanwhile, a Japanese firm expressed its intention to invest in cooling and logistics systems for agricultural products in Taiwan, although its identity cannot be revealed at present, Chen said.
The council is also discussing agricultural exports with Singapore, he said.
“It is not only about trade,” as the high quality demanded in Japan means Taiwan has to upgrade its production and management methods, Chen said, expressing his hope that more Taiwanese products would be sold in Japan during next year’s Tokyo Summer Olympics.
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.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
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
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