By September, a total of close to US$2 million worth of Salvadoran coffee had been imported to Taiwan (almost the total amount imported last year). It’s part of a surge in agricultural exports from El Salvador to Taiwan, which by September had surpassed last year’s total by 33 percent.
With coffee being one of El Salvador’s major cash crops, it’s no surprise that the country’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Orestes Fredesman Ortez Andrade, chose this weekend’s Taiwan International Tea, Coffee and Wine Expo for his first visit to Taiwan.
With this year’s Salvadoran Barista champion Victor Flores serving the brews at the expo, Ortez and Salvadoran Ambassador to Taiwan, Marta Chang de Tsien, took a breather from the frenzy to discuss the relationship between the two countries.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
The conversation began with coffee, as nine Salvadoran distributors and three Taiwanese importers were on site and the aroma of coffee permeated the air. Chang and Ortez were quick to point out that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) enjoyed a cup of coffee with El Salvador’s vice president during her visit in January and later posted about it on her personal Facebook page.
SALVADORAN JOE
Ortez says that three major types of Salvadoran coffee, all of the Arabica variety, are available in Taiwan: Pacas, Bourbon and Pacamara. Bourbon makes up about 66 percent of coffee production in El Salvador, and Chang says that it has “great sweetness and a complex taste, with berry-toned fruit notes.”
photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
“El Salvador’s coffee has good body, with a gentle level of acidity, generally less than typical Central American coffees. They are considered among the sweetest in the world,” she adds.
Ortez points out that the beans are grown in volcanic soil and great care is put into controlling the soil and shade as well as preventing diseases. Farms in El Salvador have been focusing on the higher-grade market, using organic material, gaining Rainforest Alliance certification and also engaging in fair trade.
Ortez hopes that through Taiwan, El Salvador’s coffee can reach markets elsewhere in Asia. Currently, Taiwan is the only Asian country among the eight top importers of Salvadoran coffee, with the US at the top.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
It’s also one of the 5,688 items that are imported to Taiwan from El Salvador tax free. This agreement, which has been in place since 2007, was renewed and expanded in September.
FIRST TIME DIPLOMAT
As allies for 83 years, El Salvador and Taiwan’s relationship goes further than simply diplomatic recognition and assistance. Chang, whose father is from China and husband is Taiwanese, arrived in Taiwan in 2010.
This is her first foray into politics. Chang says she was appointed by the president for her Chinese language skills and her familiarity with Taiwan as she and her husband frequently dealt with the Taiwan embassy for business purposes. She’s also visited Taiwan on several occasions to see her husband’s family.
“I feel at home here,” she says. “I was scared in the beginning, but everyone here made it easy for me. My husband is very happy because he got to see his old classmates after 50 [or] 60 years.”
Chang sees her main job as balancing the interests of both sides to keep the relationship strong.
“For example, I give the Salvadoran government suggestions on who they should invite and who should come to Taiwan,” she says.
Chang says there are many exchanges between the two countries, including military and academic. The country learns much from Taiwan, such as emulating its One Town One Product program to promote its local products and also drawing from Taiwan’s technology skills, particularly in agriculture. While Taiwan used to send agricultural missions to El Salvador, Chang says now the focus is on how to market the products.
“A lot of Taiwanese companies want to invest in El Salvador so they have access to US markets because of the Free Trade Agreement [with the US],” she says.
While Taiwan’s former Central American allies of Costa Rica and Panama have switched recognition to China in recent years, both Chang and Ortez insist that El Salvador will not do so.
“In El Salvador, we say that it’s better to have an old friend than a new acquaintance,” Ortez says.
“We’re skeptical about the Chinese dream, because China helps countries that are of interest to them. Panama has the canal, for example. We don’t think it will be a solid investment for us.”
“My biggest accomplishment is that El Salvador has remained an ally of Taiwan,” Chang adds.
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