Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park (PABP) of the Council of Agriculture (COA) held the groundbreaking ceremony for PABP Expansion Project on December 4. The government invests NT$2.3 billion in the construction project and plans to have all basic pipeline and ground foundation completed on the 165.41 hectares expansion at the northeast of the park by the end of 2019. After this completion, PABP will be able to release more than 90 hectares for factory construction of 60 prospective agri-enterprises, greatly expanding the size of PABP industrial cluster to over 180 agri-enterprises. The project expedites the development of 6 formed major industries, namely Natural Products for Health and Beauty, Aqua-Breeding, Agro-Bio Materials, Husbandry Materials & Animal Health, Biotechnical Service, Energy-Saving & Ecological Agro-Production System, to build a world-leading New Agriculture industrial cluster.

PABP offers excellent and convenient environment for industrial innovation and sustainable development

　　Today's ceremony marks the beginning of the whole project's construction stage. The expansion reserves lots for future experimental farm land and segments factory lots accordingly, offering ready-to-use lots with all necessary pipelines and infrastructures which allows businesses to settle down swiftly. The project is expected to attract high-production-value, innovative, and globally competitive international agri-enterprises to enter PABP to fulfill the policy objectives of “New Agriculture”, and to propel the development of Taiwan’s agri-tech industry forward.

　　PABP is a crucial platform in the industrialization of Taiwan agriculture. Since it began operation in 2006, the park has continued to offer industrialized and technological agri-businesses the one-stop administrative service, tax exemption in bonded park, one-stop customs clearance, low-interest loan, and industry-academia R&D cooperation incentives. Successfully a total of 103 agri-enterprises invested NT$10.246 billion and boosted the exportation to over 30 countries around the world, contributing to more than NT$6 billion output value and 1,700 working opportunities.

　　Through the PABP expansion project, the base would be increased to nearly 400 hectares including the original 233 hectares and additional 165.41 hectares. The capacity of inventory logistic, human resource development, recreational tourism, and sewage treatment would be improved significantly. In the future, biomedical technology would be introduced and efforts in developing energy-saving and smart agriculture, increasing agricultural added value and establishing international marketing channels would be strengthened to fulfill the goal of New Agriculture. A high-tech agricultural industrial cluster comprising 180 agri-enterprises, 6000 employees and NT$18 billion annual output value will be established in Pingtung.

Integrating upstream and downstream industry chains to lead Taiwan’s agriculture to the international market

　　Based on the agribusiness foundation in the PABP, continuous efforts would be taken to expand the infrastructure, attract investment, merge with Taiwan Orchid Plantation, develop Taoyuan Agricultural Logistics Park and Central Taiwan High Technology Agricultural Industry Park, effectively integrate agricultural resources in Taiwan, and furthermore cooperate with upstream and downstream suppliers from New Southbound Policy countries so that a complete industrial supply chain can be formed together. In this way, the New Agriculture, new southbound and agricultural bio-economic policies can be realized to enhance competitive advantage of Taiwan’s industrial value chain in the international market. Focusing on the development of PABP, agricultural transformation could be reached in order to step forward to the international arena.