A delegation led by Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) departed for the US yesterday, where it plans to sign a US$3.6 billion deal in Washington to buy US soybeans, corn, wheat, beef and other agricultural products.
The council has carefully evaluated the nation’s market demands, and the deal would benefit Taiwan-US economic cooperation, Chen said.
The council sends a delegation to the US every two years to buy agricultural products and details of each deal are based on market demand and prices, but the quantity it plans to buy has increased this year, he said.
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Taiwanese farmers use domestic soybeans and corn for fresh feed and imported ones, which are less expensive, for dry feed, he said, which means the imports would not depress domestic prices.
Included in the deal would be exports of US-raised meat, especially beef, the demand for which is increasing every year, he said.
Taiwan is the eighth-largest importer of US agricultural products and an important trade partner to the US, he said.
“Undeniably, the US-China trade dispute has affected US agricultural exports, and the deal is beneficial not only to US farmers, but also to Taiwan, as our nation is now in a better bargaining position in terms of prices,” Chen said.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office said the nation is taking action to strengthen Taiwan-US trade and it wishes to be a reliable trade partner.
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
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