Taiwan agricultural product buying mission to visit U.S. in Sept.: FM

Taipei, March 20 (CNA) Taiwan will send an agricultural mission to the United States this September as part of the government's efforts to reduce its trade surplus with the country, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said Thursday.

According to Lin, the goodwill trade delegation, jointly organized by his ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture, aims to avert potential tariff increases imposed on Taiwanese imports by President Donald Trump's administration.

Lin made the remarks during an MOU signing ceremony between Changhua County Hexing Agricultural and Livestock Production Cooperation and the DeLong Company, Inc., a U.S-based grain trading, agronomy and seed provider.

Lin said that under the MOU, the Hexing Agricultural and Livestock Production Cooperation plans to buy 120,000 tons of animal feed per year from DeLong.

"It will not only increase Taiwan's overall feed purchases from the United States but also provide Taiwan's livestock industry with a stable and diversified source of imports," he added.

The minister said Taiwan is looking forward to working together with the U.S. in finding more mutually beneficial industries so that the two close trading partners "can be great together."

Taiwan's last agricultural trade goodwill mission to the U.S., in September 2022, signed three letters of intent with U.S. agricultural industry associations.

According to a news release issued by Taiwan's representative office in the U.S. at the time, the agreements covered the purchase of wheat, soybean and corn at an estimated value of over US$3.2 billion.