Two groups of Taiwan youth agricultural ambassadors will visit Malaysia and Vietnam, respectively, Aug. 26 to Sept. 2 as part of government efforts to foster mutually beneficial exchanges and advance sustainable farming in New Southbound Policy countries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Each team comprises 15 university students and young professionals with academic and practical experience in fields spanning fruit, rice and tea farming as well as fish fry and fingerling production. The delegations are scheduled to tour fisheries, fruit and vegetable, and livestock research institutes; visit Taiwan-owned farms, food-processing businesses and manufacturers; and observe halal certification procedures.
Speaking during the program’s flag presentation ceremony at the MOFA headquarters Aug. 22 in Taipei City, Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu said that the program aims to create a platform for young farmers and their counterparts in NSP countries to build friendships and pursue enduring cooperation and exchanges.
According to the minister, the inaugural edition of the initiative last year in Indonesia and the Philippines proved a great success, earning praise from overseas agricultural agencies and farmers as well as enhancing Taiwan’s substantive relations with the partner nations.
Praising the expertise of this year’s participants, Wu said that their enthusiasm and innovation show the rich potential and vitality of Taiwan’s young agricultural professionals. Several are proficient in Vietnamese, while the groups also include honorees from the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture’s list of 100 promising young farmers.
The Young Agricultural Ambassadors New Southbound Policy Exchange Program is co-organized by the MOFA and the COA. Also attending the flag presentation ceremony to offer support to the delegations were COA Deputy Minister Li Tui-chih, Anwar Udzir, acting president of the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Center, and Vo Hong Manh, chief of the Science and Technology Division of the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.
A key plank in President Tsai Ing-wen’s national development strategy, the NSP seeks to enhance Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand. (KWS-E)
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