Today (March 5) Foodex Japan 2019 kicked off at the Makuhari Messe convention center. This year the Council of Agriculture (COA) decided to organize a “Taiwan Pavilion” for the first time, where exhibitors from Taiwan would collectively display their products. Business people from around the world who visited the pavilion were deeply impressed by Taiwan’s premium agricultural and fisheries products and processed foods. At a business negotiation event held in the afternoon of March 5, exhibitors from Taiwan and Japanese buyers engaged in direct discussions about purchasing Taiwanese agriproducts. Moreover, Suzuki Yoshitsugu, founder of a Tokyo restaurant that has held a Michelin 1-star rating for 12 consecutive years, together with the well-known IDEBOK dairy farm used Taiwan bananas to make a variety of desserts at the venue, so that guests and media representatives present could experience the “freshness, dependability, and flavor” of Taiwanese agriproducts. This tasting event drew an enthusiastic response.

　　The COA has divided the “Taiwan Pavilion” into the “Industry Promotion Area” and the “2020 Tokyo Olympics Food Supply Area.” A total of 22 Taiwanese firms and trade associations are participating. They are exhibiting a variety of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, including colored carrots, broccoli, lettuce, frozen edamame (green soybean), pineapples, bananas, jujube, and frozen sugar apples, as well as various types of frozen or processed seafood products including sailfish, grouper, eel, sea bass, Taiwan tilapia, and mullet roe. There is also a variety of cooked meat products on display, including shaomai (a kind of steamed dumpling), sausage, dried shredded pork, and steamed buns with barbequed pork. Business people from around the world who visited the “Taiwan Pavilion”  praised the top-quality of Taiwanese agriproducts and processed foods exhibited. 

　　In order to do comprehensive and integrated marketing of premium Taiwanese agriproducts and processed foods, and to assist Taiwanese firms in connecting with Japanese buyers, this afternoon the COA held an event at the Hotel New Otani Makuhari entitled “Taiwan Pavilion: Press Conference for Marketing of Taiwan Agriproducts, and Meetings with Japanese Companies to Negotiate Business Deals.” There were more than 20 well-known Japanese corporations and industry representatives in attendance, covering industries from agriproducts trading to chain restaurants and supermarkets. There were also reporters from Japanese culinary magazines and major news outlets present, indicating that agriproducts from Taiwan are of high interest to the Japanese business world.

　　Besides exhibiting a diverse variety of premium agricultural, livestock and fisheries products that express unique aspects of Taiwan and that meet standards for several international certifications, for the press conference and business negotiation event the COA also invited Michelin star chef Suzuki Yoshitsugu and IDEBOK dairy farm to create a variety of desserts using Taiwanese bananas. These desserts were available for tasting to guests and media representatives in attendance, in order for them to personally experience the  “freshness, dependability, and flavor” characteristic of Taiwanese agriproducts. There was an enthusiastic response to the tasting, and there were lively  interactions and discussions between Taiwanese and Japanese business people.

　　Today’s activities included participation by representatives of city and county governments, including Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Li-shan, Taoyuan City Deputy Mayor Yu Chien-hwa, and Kaohsiung City Agriculture Bureau Director Wu Fang-ming. The COA emphasizes that Japan is one of Taiwan’s leading agricultural trade partners, and that the COA will cooperate with other relevant agencies to continue to cultivate the Japanese market. In particular they will strive to have premium agriproducts from Taiwan included on the list of food ingredients supplied to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In the future, the COA will join hands with city and county governments, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Taiwan’s overseas representative offices, farmers organizations, industry groups, and trading firms to work through the “Taiwan AgExporter” platform to upgrade the quality of exported Taiwan agriproducts and stabilize their supply, thus allowing even more consumers from around the world to enjoy Taiwan’s top-quality and safe agriproducts.