Browse Data and Analysis

As the US’ sixth-largest export market for food and agricultural products, Taiwan imported a record-high US $4.4 billion of food and agricultural products from the US in 2022. These high-in-demand products include beef, poultry, dairy, fruits, tree nuts, and vegetables.

On November 13, 2023, Taiwan notified the WTO of a new draft amendment for Sanitation Standards for Contaminants and Toxins in Food (G/SPS/N/TPKM/621). This report contains highlights from the draft as well as a link to the full notification.

On September 26 and September 28, 2023, Taiwan notified the WTO that it was invoking volume-based special safeguards on imports of other chicken cuts and pork belly, respectively.

Since the previous report, Taiwan has granted new approvals for imports of genetically engineered (GE) products for processing, food, and feed use. Taiwan has never permitted domestic production of GE crops or animals.

Taiwan’s MY 2022/23 apple imports were 131,252 MT and are forecast at 130,000 MT for MY 2023/24. The United States remains the largest supplier of apples by volume but the market share of Japan, New Zealand, and Chile are all extremely close behind.

Taiwan aims to expand use of renewable energy to 20 percent by 2025. Developing renewable energy is the most important implementation component to reach the goal and wood pellets is a green energy resource option being considered by Taiwan.

In MY 2023, Taiwan’s liquid milk production is estimated to reach 474,000 tons and is forecast to see a slight increase in MY 2024. However, the long-term liquid milk outlook is complex and subject to unstable dynamics due to New Zealand dairy products soon to have unlimited tariff-free access to the Taiwan market in 2025.

On August 1, 2023, Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture (COA) was transformed into the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA). MOA’s total workforce plans to increase from about 4,770 to 5,300 staff, and the administrative budget is expected to rise by TWD 8.3 billion (USD $260 million) to a total annual budget of TWD 158.9 billion (USD $5 billion).

Taiwan's HRI industry has fully bounced back with 2022 revenue surpassing pre-pandemic records. The market has a westernized palate with a high per capita GDP of US$33,004, showing that consumers are not only willing but also more than capable of trying foreign cuisines.

In 2022, Taiwan imported US$ 279.1 million of coffee, an increase of 35.2 percent. It has one of the highest densities of coffee shops in the world.

In MY2022/2023, Taiwan’s total cherry consumption, which is based entirely on imports, dropped to just over 12,000 MT due to extremely tight supply of U.S. cherries.

Taiwan has temporarily revised its quarantine requirements to curtail disease-zone restrictions for imported eggs and egg products.