The agricultural council plans to set up a company to promote exports of Taiwanese produce to Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
The company, to be headed by the Taiwan Fertilizer Company, has already gathered more than one-fifth of its planned capital base of NT$1 billion (US$33 million).
Council official Chen Jun-yen said Friday that Taiwan-grown fruits such as pineapples, dragon fruit, and guava are sweet, a quality that consumers in Southeast Asia and the Middle East prefer in fruit. Chen said the government is already seeking to cooperate with grocery retailers in Singapore to expand the market for Taiwanese produce.
“[Because] our agricultural products are seasonal, foreign retailers often find our supplies unstable," said Chen.
"We were not export-oriented in the past. In the future, the company will be driven by an export-oriented approach by focusing on one or two major products with a [steady] year-round supply. Seasonal products will also help build a supply chain.”
The company also plans to export fertilizers, agricultural machinery and seedlings.