Taiwan Agricultural Development Company established, first wave targets pineapple release; Chen Yuran leads the national agricultural team

"In its early days, Taiwan was the kingdom of bananas and the kingdom of button mushrooms, but all that is now a thing of the past; in recent years we have promoted orchids, but it seems we have never really left a deep impression." Premier Lin Chuan of the Executive Yuan said that the new agricultural policy has already become one of the key tasks of the new government.

"Taiwan has many high-quality agricultural products, but under the challenges of regional integration and liberalisation, we have excellent products yet find it very hard to share them." Tsao Chi-hung, chairman of the Council of Agriculture, also pointed out that if the production, collection, quality control and marketing of agricultural products can be integrated, he believes Taiwan's agriculture can be led onto a new path.

The Council of Agriculture organised "Taiwan International Agricultural Development Co., Ltd." (abbreviated as Taiwan Agricultural Development Company), announced its establishment today (the 5th), with Chen Yu-jan, former global marketing president of New Zealand's Zespri kiwifruit company, serving as chairman. In the future it will widely invite agricultural trading enterprises focused on "export" to join, build a supply-and-marketing system for agricultural products with stable quality and quantity, and make the name "Taiwan agricultural products" resound.

First wave targets sugar apples, bananas still an important market

Asked what Taiwan Agricultural Development Company's main focus would be in its first stage of development, Chen Yu-jan said the initial idea was to introduce sugar apples, "Taitung's sugar apples have gradually developed over these ten years." Farmers have also established a considerable degree of production technology and processes, and quality has been maintained fairly well, "at present they are mainly sold to mainland China, and there are also sales markets in Malaysia and the Middle East, and in the future there are even plans to develop the Canadian market."

Besides sugar apples, Chen Yu-jan also pointed out that mangoes, guavas and Indian jujubes all have great development potential and are worth looking forward to for future development opportunities, but the timing of promotion still depends on trends in international market demand, "but everyone should not forget that bananas will always be the most important market!"

Will not compete with the people for profit; will integrate and coach the weak points of export

However, at present quite a few exporters in Taiwan are also involved in the trade of bananas and other agricultural products. Regarding Taiwan Agricultural Development Company's future entry into overseas sales markets, will it snatch orders from traders? Chen Yu-jan stressed repeatedly, "We absolutely will not compete with the people for profit!"

Chen Yu-jan further explained that Taiwan Agricultural Development Company's focus is on "integrating and coaching the weak points of export" trade items that are already mature and developing well will not appear on the promotion list of Taiwan International Agricultural Development Co., Ltd.

But Chen Yu-jan also pointed out that in fact there are still many areas in Taiwan's exported agricultural products that need intervention and coaching for improvement, "like sugar apples, many are still packed by hand while kneeling on the ground, and in my view that is not up to standard." He stressed that since Taiwan's agricultural products want to go international, the related production processes must comply with international cold chain, packaging and storage and transport specifications, "this is where we need to step in and coach."

Taiwan Agricultural Development Company takes orders and integrates market demand, handing them to partner traders

As for how Taiwan Agricultural Development Company will interact with local farmers in Taiwan and integrate production targets in the future? Chen Yu-jan said the current plan is for Taiwan Agricultural Development Company to contact international orders, and after integrating the quantity of market demand, hand them to partner export units to communicate with farmers and coach production, "some export units have long-term interaction with more than a hundred farmers, so they are better able to grasp the local situation." In this way it ensures that the quantity and quality of agricultural products meet international demand.

Chang Chen Co., Ltd., which is on the first wave of the cooperation list and uses "sugar apples" as its main export item, said that although the company itself has long been involved in overseas trade markets, taking sugar apples into mainland China, Malaysia and elsewhere, "but relying on our own promotion alone, advertising and exposure are simply not enough, and it is very hard to be remembered by the market."

Ke Wen-shou, representative of Chang Chen Co., Ltd., further said he hopes that after joining Taiwan Agricultural Development Company in the future, it can draw on the company's marketing resources to raise the visibility of sugar apples in overseas markets; as for how the detailed cooperation details such as the future profit-sharing model, coaching priorities and marketing strategy will operate? Ke Wen-shou said they still need to continue discussing with Chen Yu-jan.