Taipei: 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 announced. The mission is a strategic move to prevent potential tariff increases on Taiwanese imports by the Trump administration.
According to Focus Taiwan, the goodwill trade delegation is being organized jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture. The initiative seeks to strengthen Taiwan's agricultural trade relations with the United States by increasing imports and ensuring a stable supply for Taiwan's livestock industry.
During a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between the Changhua County Hexing Agricultural and Livestock Production Cooperation and DeLong Company, Inc., a U.S-based grain trading firm, Lin revealed that under the MOU, Hexing plans to purchase 120,000 tons of animal feed annually from DeLong. This agreement is expected to boost Taiwan's feed imports from the U.S., providing a consistent and varied import source for Taiwan's livestock sector.
The minister emphasized Taiwan's commitment to collaborating with the U.S. in exploring industries that offer mutual benefits, reinforcing the strong trading relationship between the two regions. Taiwan's previous agricultural trade goodwill mission to the U.S. in September 2022 resulted in three letters of intent with U.S. agricultural associations, covering wheat, soybean, and corn purchases valued at over US$3.2 billion.