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.
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
Taiwan’s two cases of hantavirus so far this year are on par with previous years’ case numbers, and the government is coordinating rat extermination work, so there should not be any outbreaks, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said today in an interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper). An increase in rat sightings in Taipei and New Taipei City has raised concerns about the spread of hantavirus, as rats can carry the disease. In January, a man in his 70s who lived in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) tested positive posthumously for hantavirus, Taiwan’s
RSS