MITAGRI Chairman Chen Yu-jan and Farmind Corporation President Tatsuo Horiuchi today (October 13) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. The two sides agreed that Taiwan and Japan would cooperate more closely in trading of fruits and vegetables, and set a target that the two sides would purchase 10 billion Yen of agriproducts from Taiwan and Japan over the next five years. At the signing ceremony the two sides revealed that the MITAGRI Company has already exported one container of premium Taiwan bananas (about six metric tons) to Japan, serving as the starting point for cooperation between the two sides.

　　COA Deputy Minister Chen Chi-chung, who was invited to attend the signing ceremony, said at the time that the COA is coordinating with the Executive Yuan in its policy to form “national teams” for six major industries (including agriculture). The COA’s guidance of the creation of the MITAGRI Company was done in hopes that this company would assist the government in restructuring the export supply chain for domestic agriculture, and expand export volume and value. Taiwan’s government is happy to see MITAGRI sign a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Farmind Corporation, a major sales channel into Japan, and they believe that we will soon see even more exports of premium Taiwan agriproducts to Japan, thereby raising farmers’ incomes.

　　The Farmind Corporation has 14 operational centers in Japan, with its operations mainly centered around produce, including promoting ripening of bananas; processing of produce; import and export of produce and flowers; development of systems in areas related to fruit and vegetable products; coordinated field operations; post-sale inquiries for food products; and related business. Since its founding, the MITAGRI Company has been actively entering into discussions with importers and sales channels in target markets in Japan and in New Southbound Policy countries. With the signing of this Memorandum of Cooperation with Farmind, MITAGRI will work to export premium fruits and vegetables from Taiwan into Japan, and expand into diversified sales channels including supermarkets, convenience stores, and e-commerce operations.

　　The COA states that, in order to transform traditional notions of exporting, and stably supply the Japanese market with the agriproducts it needs, the COA has deliberately guided MITAGRI to strengthen contract production, centralized collection of agriproducts, quality control, and other standard operating procedures for exporting. MITAGRI has already set up operations in the Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park, and plans to build an International Freshness Logistics Center there. Through promoting various tasks step-by-step in a sure and steady manner, it is hoped MITAGRI can transform traditional notions of exporting, and reconstruct an export-oriented agriproducts supply chain, in order to expand exports of agriproducts from Taiwan, and welcome a new exporting milestone for Taiwan agriculture.

Taiwan’s government is happy to see MITAGRI sign a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Farmind Corporation, a major sales channel into Japan, and they believe that we will soon see even more exports of premium Taiwan agriproducts to Japan, thereby raising farmers’ incomes.

The MITAGRI Company and the Farmind Corporation signed a Momorandum of Cooperation, and will strengthen cooperation based on a target of purchasing 10 billion Yen in produce within the next five years.

MITAGRI Chairman Chen Yu-jan and Farmind Corporation President Tatsuo Horiuchi sign a Memorandum of Cooperation in Tokyo.