Fujian Enjoys Fruits of Farm Co-op with TaiwanCenturies ago, migrants from Fujian Province brought rice, tea and sugarcane crops to Taiwan and now the favour is being returned.Over the past 20 years, Taiwan has been sending advanced crop species and agricultural technologies to Fujian in an effort to set up food sources outside the limited confines of the island. Official statistics show Fujian has introduced more than 1,500 types of vegetables, fruits, rice, flowers, edible mushrooms, aquatic products, and domestic fowl and livestock from the island since late 1980s. Fujian's local pillar industries have reaped large economic gains from the introductions. Sharing similar geographic locations and common culture, Fujian and Taiwan have been exploiting the potential for agricultural co-operation ever since the mainland adopted reform and opening up policies in the late 1970s. More than 1,300 agricultural firms based in Taiwan have invested in projects in Fujian during the past 10 years. In that period, contracted capital reached US$1.6 billion and capital actually used in projects amounted to US$950 million, according to Zhang Guangmin, vice-director of the Fujian Provincial Taiwan Affairs Office. At present, a number of new projects of research and development are taking shape, which promise to increase investment numbers. High-tech fruit growing techniques, developed by the Taiwan Pingdong University of Science and Technology, are now spreading widely across the province. Scientific co-operation in the areas of soil erosion, pesticides and fertilizers is also playing important roles in boosting the local economy. Since 1990, more than 200 Taiwan delegations involving 1,000 agricultural officials, entrepreneurs and experts have visited Fujian, seeking opportunities for research and co-operation. The number of scholars from Fujian who have visited Taiwan on similar missions has been estimated at more than 200 during the same period. Statistics provided by the Fujian provincial government reveal agricultural exchanges between the province and Taiwan have not only boosted the process of agricultural and economic structure modernization in Fujian, but also enlarged the amount of farm produce from the province in the international market. |
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