Taiwan's annual agricultural ambassadors to visit Netherlands

Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) A government-funded program that annually sends Taiwanese with agricultural expertise overseas for exchanges with local counterparts is now open for applications, with selected "ambassadors" set to visit the Netherlands for the first time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced Monday.

A total of 16 "Young Agricultural Ambassadors," aged 18-45, will be selected to visit the European country for eight days in November, where they will engage with their Dutch counterparts to strengthen bilateral cooperation in floriculture, controlled-environment agriculture, livestock farming, and the production and marketing of fruit and vegetables, MOFA said in a press release.

Those interested in joining the youth envoy program must submit their applications at https://agamb.tw/#/ by the Sept. 6 deadline, the ministry added.

The annual program was first launched in 2017 and is co-organized by MOFA and the Ministry of Agriculture to promote exchanges between Taiwan and countries covered by the New Southbound Policy.

The New Southbound Policy was launched in 2016 under then-President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to expand Taiwan's economic, educational and cultural ties with the 10 ASEAN member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.

According to MOFA, 154 ambassadors with expertise in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and animal husbandry have traveled to Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, India and Thailand since the program's inception.

This year marks the first time the annual program is sending delegates to a country outside the New Southbound Policy.