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Taiwan Agriculture Investment Company sets up subsidiary in Honduras; will promote investment in Honduras’ program for the avocado industrial chain

2019-01-19

  In a move that will assist the government in strengthening substantive relations with Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, on January 17 the Taiwan Agriculture Investment Company (TAIC) formally established a subsidiary in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. The TAIC also announced that it will coordinate with the “National Avocado Plan” and the “Honduras 2020 National Program for Generation of Employment and Economic Growth” being implemented by the Honduran government. In particular, TAIC will promote investment in “Honduras’ program for the avocado industrial chain,” in order to encourage development of the Honduran avocado industry and raise the incomes of farmers in that country.

  In order to deepen the diplomatic friendship between Taiwan and Honduras and promote bilateral cooperation in agriculture, in recent years the Council of Agriculture (COA) has assisted Honduras in undertaking agriproduct production programs, improving agricultural technology, and upgrading product packaging and marketing. Taiwan has also established overseas production bases and strengthened agricultural trade. In these ways Taiwan has bolstered Honduran agricultural development and raised farmers’ incomes. In terms of the avocado industry, Taiwan has actively assisted Honduras in promoting the avocado industrial chain program, and has invited the TAIC to set up a subsidiary in that country to work with local farmers’ organizations and agribusinesses to construct an avocado production-and-marketing value chain.

  Honduras considers the establishment of a subsidiary of the TAIC in that country to be very important. Numerous high-level Honduran officials were in attendance at the ceremony marking the founding of the subsidiary, including Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Mauricio Guevara (who delivered remarks on behalf of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández), Minister of Economic Development Arnaldo Castillo, Minister of the Interior Hector Ayala, the public security minister and the deputy minister of foreign affairs. On the Taiwan side, besides participation by TAIC Chairman Pat Yang, former minister of the COA Lin Tsung-hsien and Mitagri Chairman Chen Yu-jan also both attended to lend support and wish the endeavor success.

  The COA states that they guided the founding of the TAIC in order to strengthen substantive relations with diplomatic allies and New Southbound Policy partner countries and to construct a system for domestic and overseas agricultural investments. Besides evaluating domestic and overseas agricultural investment targets, the TAIC works with domestic and foreign firms to set up joint investment companies when needed, in order to distribute investment across international agriproduct markets. The COA hopes that, with the full assistance of the Taiwan government and the commitment of the TAIC, “Honduras’ program for the avocado industrial chain” can achieve outstanding results and lay a strong foundation for the global agricultural investment strategy being promoted by Taiwan.

A group photo.