The Council of Agriculture (COA) yesterday said that it would invest NT$13 billion (US$469.14) over the next four years for cold chain logistics to enhance Taiwan’s competitiveness in exports of processed food and agricultural products.
Cold chain logistics is the technology and process to enable the safe transportation of temperature-sensitive goods and perishable products.
COA officials told the Cabinet’s weekly meeting yesterday that the new projects are mainly aimed at Taiwan’s farming products, including fruit and cereal grains, which supply chain management has shown are prone to disruptions, including price fixing by intermediary brokers.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsun, Taipei Times
Two flagship distribution centers — in Taoyuan and Pingtung County — and eight regional distribution centers would be established to increase handling capacity and boost export volumes, the council said.
Moreover, centers for heat treatment of food products and low-temperature quarantine testing labs would be upgraded, programs would be implemented for exports of fresh fruit — with a focus on building up the sector’s supply chain — while cold chain storage systems at large fruit and vegetable market depots in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taichung and Tainan would be improved, it said.
It is to help local fishery organizations to upgrade their freezers and processing factories, the council said, adding that this would stabilize the supply chain for milk fish, bass, tilapia, grouper, threadfin and other large-volume seafood items.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) instructed COA officials to help improve the quality and reduce the attrition rate of perishable goods through improvements to monitoring and forecasting of supply chain timetables, including “smart warehouses.”
“In doing so, we can help Taiwan’s agricultural products to remain in the limelight,” Su said.
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