In the News

ECFA boosts Taiwan’s agricultural exports

Taiwan-cultivated groupers are giving added oomph to the island’s cross-strait agricultural exports. (Courtesy of Cheng Ann-chang)

• Publication Date：06/13/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Meg Chang

Taiwan agricultural exports to mainland China grew 15 percent year on year to US$319 million for the first five months of 2012 as tariff concessions prescribed under the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) began taking effect, according to the ROC Council of Agriculture June 12.

“The ECFA, along with direct cross-strait shipping links and a bilateral agreement on agricultural quarantine inspections, have helped make mainland China the second largest market for Taiwan’s agricultural exports,” a COA official said.

Under the ECFA early harvest list, 18 Taiwan agricultural products saw their tariffs reduced from Jan. 1, 2011, with 16 of them becoming tariff-free at the start of this year. The list includes groupers, Oncidium orchids and tea.

COA statistics show that as of May, shipments of these items tripled to 23.11 tons for a value of US$74.15 million, up 50 percent from the same period in 2011.

Products not on the tariff concession list also experienced exponential growth, the official added. These include sugar apples at 287 percent, Phalaenopsis orchids at 98 percent, ornamental fish at 90 percent and pineapples at 75 percent.

In addition to cultivating the mainland Chinese market, the COA will continue mapping out development strategies to maintain Taiwan’s export levels to Japan and the U.S.

“We also plan on assisting local farmers in making inroads into the markets of Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia,” the official said. (JSM)

Write to Meg Chant at sfchang@mail.mofa.gov.tw