Taiwan's food self-sufficiency rate drops to 30.3%

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) Taiwan's food self-sufficiency rate in 2023 dropped to 30.3 percent, the lowest figure in 18 years, according to a recent report by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).

The 30.3 percent figure refers to how much of people's total caloric intake in Taiwan derived from foods produced domestically.

The 2023 figure represented a drop from 30.8 percent in 2022 and 33.0 percent in 2013, to its lowest level since the 30.2 percent rate was recorded in 2005, the MOA said in its latest Food Supply & Utilization Annual Report.

The main reason for the drop was a decrease in domestic production of rice -- the largest single source of calories in Taiwan -- caused in part by reduced irrigation to rice fields during a period of drought in 2023, the ministry said.

Self-sufficiency by food group

By food group, 25.5 percent of grains consumed in Taiwan in 2023 were domestically produced, down 1.1 percentage points from 26.6 percent in 2022, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, 70.8 percent of meat consumed in 2023 in Taiwan was raised domestically, down 2.7 percentage points from 73.5 percent in 2022, the MOA said.

The drop in the proportion of domestic meat consumption was driven by factors including avian flu and the modernization of pork-rearing facilities, which reduced production and led to a greater reliance on imports, the report said.

As for fresh produce, locally-grown fruit accounted for 83.7 percent of total fruit consumption in 2023 (a 0.8 percentage point increase from the previous year), while local vegetables made up 81.9 percent of the total (a 3.1 percentage point decrease), the ministry said.

Changes in consumption

In the report, the MOA's Statistics Department noted that the food self-sufficiency rate was affected not only by domestic production volume, but also by people's consumption patterns.

In terms of the latter, the report noted that per capita consumption of wheat-derived products -- especially that of rice -- had fallen in recent years.

In 2023, the average person in Taiwan ate 42.07 kilograms (kg) of rice, down from 44.96 kg in 2013.

Consumption of wheat-derived products, meanwhile, rose from an average of 36.47 kg in 2013 to a high of 38.79 kg in 2021, but dropped to 36.21 kg in 2023, the report said.

In contrast, consumption of meat and poultry has risen sharply over the past decade, the MOA said, due to higher demand for protein from health enthusiasts and the adoption of more western-style diets.

In 2023, the average person in Taiwan ate 87.19 kg of meat, up more than 15 kg from 71.63 kg in 2013, according to the ministry.

Consumption of fruits and vegetables, meanwhile, remained more or less constant during that ten-year period, the MOA said.