SEATTLE, WA (Merxwire) – Taiwan Minister of Agriculture CHEN Chi-Chung led a delegation to the United States to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Food Security Ministerial Meeting held in Seattle. On August 2nd, Minister Chen presided over the “Taiwan Agri-Food Press Conference”. He introduced high-quality Taiwanese agricultural and seafood products such as grouper, edamame, mangoes, teas, dried fruits, and orchids to US officials, importers, distributors, and media. In his speech, Minister Chen pointed out that Taiwan’s agricultural exports to the US reached 920 million US dollars in 2022, representing a 5.1% increase from 2021. The US has now surpassed China to become Taiwan’s largest export market for agricultural products. He expressed hope to recommend even more Taiwanese agricultural and food products to American consumers and deepen agricultural trade between Taiwan and the US.

The “Taiwan Agri-Food Press Conference” was attended by dignitaries, including Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle Director General Daniel K.C. Chen, Washington State Senators Keith Wagoner and Ann Rivers, Washington State Representative Cindy Ryu, Seattle Senior Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell, DNC Member Sharon Mast, Greater Seattle Partners President Brian Surratt, Congressman Adam Smith’s office District Director Glenn Carpenter, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene’s Office District Director Kelly Marquardt, Governor Inslee’s King County Director Chris Esh, as well as retailers, importers and leaders of Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce. Their presence demonstrated the friendly and close Taiwan-US relations and support for furthering agricultural trade and cooperation between the two nations. During the event, Minister Chen specially recommended Taiwanese grouper, edamame, and mangoes, and collaborated with a five-star hotel chef to create delicious dishes and desserts using Taiwanese agricultural ingredients, receiving unanimous praise from the attendees. The event showcased high-quality Taiwanese products, such as tea, dried fruits, processed foods, and orchids. These products generated considerable interest from US importers and distributors, who expressed their willingness to collaborate with Taiwanese businesses, with the assistance of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECO) and Taiwan Trade Center in the US.

The Ministry of Agriculture pointed out that the United States has always been Taiwan’s most important agricultural trade partner. In 2022, 22.8% of Taiwan’s imported agricultural products came from the US, totaling approximately$4.67 billion US dollars. Taiwan is the 7th largest overseas market for US agricultural products, with major imports from the US including soybeans, wheat, corn, beef, chicken, and apples. On the other hand, the US is Taiwan’s largest export market for agricultural products. In 2022, Taiwan’s agricultural exports to the US amounted to around 860 million US dollars, including products such as orchids, tea, edamame, baked goods, noodles, as well as tilapia and other frozen fish. Taiwanese agri-food products are well-received in the US, and Taiwan is actively seeking US approval for exporting pineapple and processed pork products, hoping to introduce even more high-quality and delicious Taiwanese agricultural products to consumers of the US.

Despite the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years, Taiwan’s farmers, agricultural organizations, exporters, and the government’s joint efforts, along with the strong support from domestic and international consumers, have successfully stabilized the prices of related agricultural and fishery products and ensured farmers’ revenue. Additionally, the global value of agricultural exports and exports to markets beyond China reached historical highs in 2021 and 2022, while the proportion of exports to China decreased from the highest of 23.2% in 2018 to 12.9% in 2022. The share of fruit exports to China also declined from 80.1% in 2019 to 1.6% in 2022. The US and Japan have surpassed China, becoming the top two markets for Taiwan’s agricultural exports, indicating significant achievements in the government’s efforts to expand agricultural exports and reduce over-reliance on the Chinese market. The Ministry of Agriculture will continue to adopt diverse marketing strategies, develop new products, and explore new markets and channels to increase the export value of domestic agricultural products and enhance farmers’ revenue.

Media Contacts:
Taiwan Ministry of Agriculture
Sophia Hung
hchung@moa.gov.tw
https://eng.moa.gov.tw/

SOURCE: Taiwan Ministry of Agriculture