Restrictions on exporting seeds and their derivatives are expected to be in place by March, the Agriculture and Food Agency said yesterday.
Twenty-nine such items as pineapples, bananas, tea trees, guavas, lychees, mushrooms and other produce were listed in a draft published by the agency on Tuesday.
The items were collected and practically assessed before they were announced, agency Deputy Director Yao Chih-wang (姚志旺) said yesterday.
Photo: Chen Feng-hua, Taipei Times
The draft is being released for a two-month public review period before being imposed in March, the agency said.
The restrictions are conditional and a supplier might be authorized for export by the Department of International Affairs, the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute and other related units after a comprehensive evaluation, the agency said.
The aim of the restrictions is to ensure that Taiwan’s agricultural developments would not be compromised, the agency said, adding that exports can be approved to consolidate diplomatic relations, for example.
On the other hand, exports might be limited if it disrupts the market, the agency added.
The restrictions are based on an amendment to the Plant Variety and Plant Seed Act (植物品種及種苗法) which added an article for the competent authority — currently the ministry — to restrict items for import or export.
Those who contravene the restrictions are subject to a maximum sentence of three years in prison or a fine ranging from NT$600,000 to NT$3 million (US$19,345 to US$96,724), or both.
The amendment was passed by the legislature on May 2 last year in response to Taiwan’s agricultural cultivars ending up unauthorized in China, contravening intellectual property rights and damaging local farmers’ livelihoods.
Such cultivars included the Tainung No. 23 mango pineapple, which was developed for years before being granted variety rights in 2018.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS