Asian Seed Congress 2010, the annual event of the Asia and Pacific Seed Association (APSA), is being held at The Splendor hotel in Kaohsiung City on November 9-12, with some 1,000 representatives from 42 countries including the United States, Netherlands, China, Japan, the Philippines and Australia attending. The annual meeting is expected to create NT$1.5 billion worth of business opportunities for Taiwanseed industry, effectively expanding the opportunity for Taiwan to export quality seeds.

The Council of Agriculture (COA) noted that Taiwan has sent delegates to participate in the yearly Asian Seed Congress and related activities since joining the APSA in 1994. After winning the bid to host Asian Seed Congress 2010, the COA immediately set up the National Organizing Committee with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government, Taiwan Seeds Trade Association and Taiwan Seed Society in 2007. Three years later, the APSA was deeply impressed by Taiwan ’s efficiency and capabilities of organizing the association’s annual meeting, which also includes displaying more than 500 species of major vegetables and 21 species of flowers at two seed demonstration nurseries in the Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station in Taichung and the Kaohsiung International Flower Market, respectively.

Taiwan to Become Asia-Pacific Seed Center after Its Seed Industry Attracting Spotlight on World Stage

Since seed industry is the basis for agricultural development, Taiwan has actively worked on seed propagation and pest and disease detection techniques and used biotechnology to cultivate anti-stress, pest- and disease-resistant, high-yield and commercialized species in order to enhance agricultural productivity in response to the challenge of global climate changes while developing Taiwan into the Asia-Pacific seed center, explained the COA. And the Council listed plant seedlings as one of “ten major agricultural R&D teams” in 2008, combining technological R&D achievements with market development and industry assistance and promotion to create higher added value for local agricultural products. The excellent Taiwanseed industry has attracted spotlight on the world stage and hosting Asian Seed Congress 2010 demonstrated that the APSA has affirmed the positive development of Taiwan seed industry.

Creating Business Opportunity for Taiwan Seed Industry

The COA said Taiwan seed exports totaled NT$3.73 billion in 2009, showing the trend of seed exports growing steadily in recent years. And sponsoring Asian Seed Congress will help increase visibility of quality Taiwanseed industry in the international community and effectively expand business opportunity for Taiwan seed exports, added the Council.