Importing US peanuts tariff-free could affect up to 30 percent of domestically produced peanuts, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said today, presenting plans to boost the value of local peanuts and guide crop switching.
Tariff-free imports of US peanuts are an item of agreement under the US-Taiwan Agreement of Reciprocal Trade (ART), which still needs to be approved by the Legislative Yuan.
In response to concerns that US peanuts would flood the market once the ART takes effect, the government would help the industry transition so that Taiwanese peanuts remain the best choice for consumers, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Hu Chung-yi (胡忠一) said in a Facebook post last night.
Photo: Taipei Times
If the ART is implemented, an estimated 20 to 30 percent of domestically produced peanuts would be affected, he added.
Domestic peanut production is concentrated in Yunlin and Changhua counties, but the industry has been declining annually due to labor shortages.
Peanut farms took up about 19,000 hectares in 2020, but fell to 17,000 hectares in 2024 and further dropped to 15,000 last year, ministry data showed.
Most of Taiwan’s imported peanuts come from India, Argentina and Brazil, with US peanuts accounting for less than 1 percent of total imports, data showed.
US shelled peanuts cost NT$47 per kilogram and un-shelled peanuts cost NT$37 per kilogram, Hu said.
As Taiwan’s peanut production last year was impacted by typhoons, shelled peanuts cost NT$150 to NT$160 per kilogram and un-shelled ones cost NT$80 to NT$88 per kilogram, which shows that US peanut imports would impact the market, he said.
However, farmers should not be overly concerned, as domestic peanuts would remain the preferred choice in most cases, Hu said.
Taiwan’s peanut consumption currently exceeds domestic production, with about 30 percent relying on imports, he said.
Most imported peanuts are shelled, as they easily go bad if not stored properly, Hu said.
However, about 70 percent of domestic peanuts are used for processed foods, for which fresh, in-shell peanuts are preferred, he said.
In addition, US peanuts are harder, and processors would need to consider whether the flavor could be maintained if they switch, he added.
Taiwan has developed several preferred peanut varieties, producing high-quality peanuts with high levels of unsaturated fatty acids and strong antioxidants, Hu said.
Three years ago, the government began promoting group production zones, implementing a fully integrated, standardized system from production to procurement, he said, adding that group-based production would be expanded in the future.
The ministry is encouraging smaller farmers to join group production zones or switch to sweet potatoes or edamame, which have stronger export competitiveness, Hu said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
RSS