Page 80 - 2019 Annual Report Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

Pleasurable Banquet: Distilling beautiful fragrances Unit Four: Upgrading the Competitiveness of Rural Industries
Fifteen firms sponsored "ugly food" products as part of the promotion of The COA held the "13th Taiwan-Vietnam Working circular agriculture. Group Meeting" on Cooperation in Agriculture
and Fisheries.
A "Memorandum of Understanding on Fisheries Cooperation between Taiwan and Fiji" was signed on September 26, 2019.
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This program encourages bilateral interactions between skilled people and helps build a mutually beneficial model for agricultural trade and commerce.
(4) Promoting cross-strait agricultural interactions
In 2019 the COA reviewed applications from 613 groups of mainland Chinese citizens to visit Taiwan for professional agricultural exchanges (6,777 visits in total). We also reviewed applications to visit Taiwan from 167 groups of mainland Chinese agribusiness people (400 visits in total). In order to implement epidemic prevention work for major animal diseases, the COA strengthened control over sites to be visited to avoid approaching locations where there was high risk of disease transmission.
(5) Promoting the Agricultural New Southbound Policy
The main working areas and results of the Agricultural New Southbound Policy (NSP), whose main axis is the flagship project of
"Regional Agricultural Development," were as follows:
A. Strengthening bilateral agricultural trade and investment
In 2019 the total value of trade in agriproducts between Taiwan and NSP partner countries was US$5.586 billion. Of this, the total value of exports from Taiwan to these countries was US$1.432 billion. The value of fertilizer, pesticides, and agricultural machinery and equipment exported from Taiwan to NSP partner countries was US$150 million.
B. Strengthening two-way exchanges of agricultural talent and technology
In 2019, the COA arranged exchanges and training for people from agricultural administrative departments and research institutions a total of 104 man-times. We also provided 155 foreign and overseas Chinese students with opportunities to explore careers in agriculture for 1,907 man-days, and arranged for 66 foreign and overseas Chinese students