The US for the first time became Taiwan’s largest market for exports of agricultural products, with outbound shipments in the first quarter surging 33.3 percent to US$23.2 million from a year earlier, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday.
The council’s latest report showed that the top five importers of Taiwanese agricultural produce, totaling 450,000 tonnes, in the first three months of this year were, in descending order, the US, Japan, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
China was the largest importer of Taiwanese produce from 2013 to last year. However, its share of Taiwanese agricultural exports fell to 14.4 percent in the first quarter of this year from 21.1 percent a year earlier.
Photo: AFP
While first-quarter exports of agricultural produce in volume terms dropped 11.6 percent from a year earlier, total export value, adjusted for inflation, was similar to the same period last year, the council said.
First-quarter exports to the US jumped 48.7 percent to 75,742 tonnes from a year earlier, council data showed.
In particular, exports to the US of soybeans, mushrooms, fresh and refrigerated produce, honey, Oncidium flexuosum orchids, moth orchids, sea bass and mackerel all posted significant growth, the council said.
Outbound shipments of agricultural products used in the hand-shaken beverage industry, such as tea leaves, tapioca flour, and pineapple and mango juices also saw sharp growth, it said.
Exports of pineapple juice jumped 440.5 percent to 72 tonnes, while exports of mango juice surged 191.6 percent to 280 tonnes, it added.
Meanwhile, exports to Japan rose 16.6 percent to US$2.07 million in the first three months of this year, council data showed.
The council expects agricultural exports in the first half of the year to follow the trend in the first quarter, COA International Division Director Lin Chia-jung (林家榮) said, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect logistics and transportation.
An upcoming trade initiative meeting with the US should further flesh out bilateral trade regulations, such as establishing a science and risk-based standard, and benefit bilateral agricultural trade, he added.
Lin was referring to the talks on the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st Century Trade, set to be held in Washington at the end of this month.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,