Two groups of 12 young Taiwanese agricultural ambassadors are touring Malaysia and Thailand as part of a New Southbound Policy exchange program.
Accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the two groups left Taiwan last week.
The theme of this year’s exchange is “Reciprocal, Steadfast Partners for Sustainable Agriculture,” the official Web site of the program said.
Photo: CNA
This year’s exchange is the fifth edition of the program, which began in 2017.
Since the program’s inception, a total of 114 Taiwanese agricultural entrepreneurs have visited countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and India.
On Wednesday, the delegation to Malaysia visited the small town of Sekinchan in the state of Selangor, which is famous for its paddy fields and fishing industry.
Taiwanese agricultural ambassador Chang Shu-ning (張書寧) said she was very grateful for the opportunity from MOA and MOFA to help cultivate exchanges between Taiwanese and Malaysians.
The mutual exchange of ideas offered rare learning opportunities that were beneficial for both sides, she said.
Chien said he is engaged in technical exchanges with Malaysian partners, hoping that he could help Taiwan’s fermented food industry expand in the Southeast Asian country.
Meanwhile, the delegation to Thailand visited the regional office of the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), an international research and development nonprofit headquartered in Tainan.
The local office said its mission was to increase the diversity of vegetables and promote better nutrition to the public while seeking to provide more job opportunities to women through vegetable science.
Chang Min-hsiang (張閔翔), a member of the Taiwanese delegation, said he learned about WorldVeg’s plans to improve the growth and nutritional value of vegetables in developing countries.
In addition to WorldVeg, the delegation to Thailand also visited Talaad Thai, Southeast Asia’s largest 24-hour wholesale market, to learn about market prices, deals, storage and logistics.
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