An NT$18 billion (US$602.91 million) Fishery and Agricultural Export Supply Chain Support Program is open for applications, with a loan interest subsidy boosted to 1 percent and its duration extended to a year, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Thursday.
The program, launched in response to the US’ 20 percent tariff on Taiwanese exports, aims to provide financial support for the agricultural and fishing sectors, enhancing their industrial competitiveness and developing diversified markets.
The program would fund agricultural loans to people or entities that have a record of exporting to the US or have been affected by the increased US tariffs, to help stabilize their capital flows in the short term and encourage them to continue to export to the US, the ministry said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The subsidy for loan interest was raised to 1 percent from 0.75 percent, with the subsidy extended from six months to a year, while the maximum eligible loan amount was increased to NT$30 million from NT$20 million, it said.
Subsidies would be provided to the floriculture industry to enhance its cold chain export logistics, with a 40 percent subsidy rate for agricultural workers at an upper limit of NT$5 million and a 60 percent rate for agricultural groups or companies at an upper limit of NT$10 million, it said.
Flower characteristic testing and technical diagnostic services would be fully subsidized, it added.
Cold chain facility subsidies would also be offered to the edamame industry, with a 40 percent subsidy rate for people at an upper limit of NT$8 million and up to 60 percent for entities at an upper limit of NT$30 million, the ministry said.
The subsidy rate for those in the tea industry to upgrade or transform their production, processing, refining, sorting or packaging techniques would be up to 40 percent at an upper limit of NT$3 million for individuals and up to 60 percent at an upper limit of NT$10 million for agricultural groups, it said.
Cold chain facility subsidies would also be offered to local fishery associations in regions that raise tilapia, seabass or other affected fish species, it said.
To ensure stable production and supply, incentives would be granted to aquaculture farmers collaborating with processors, it said.
The government would offer NT$90,000 per hectare for yields of 30 tonnes or more per hectare, while NT$3,000 per tonne would be offered for yields of less than 30 tonnes per hectare, with a maximum of NT$180,000 for each individual or entity, it said.
Fisheries or agricultural companies joining the fisheries improvement project for mahi-mahi can apply for cold chain facility subsidies covering 50 percent of spending per unit, up to a maximum of NT$3 million, the ministry said.
They can also apply for a 50 percent subsidy for transportation equipment per unit at a maximum of NT$2 million, it added.
To encourage the development of exports to the US and other overseas markets, the government launched subsidy schemes ranging from NT$1.5 million to NT$5 million for flowers and seedlings, edamame, tea, seabass, tilapia, mahi-mahi, milkfish, squid and ornamental aquatic species, it said.
Export incentives would also be offered to encourage companies to enter or stabilize their efforts in the high-end US market, with NT$40 per kilogram for flowers and seedlings; NT$27 per kilogram for seabass; NT$31 per kilogram for tilapia; NT$33 per kilogram for mahi-mahi; NT$7 per kilogram for edamame; NT$36 per kilogram for tea; NT$44 per kilogram for milkfish; NT$33 per kilogram for squid; and NT$100 per kilogram for ornamental aquatic species, it said, adding that the incentives could be adjusted based on the effects of US tariffs.
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