Technology drives growth of agricultural industry

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/07
By:  Taiwan News

 

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Council of Agriculture on Tuesday (Aug. 6) held the Innovation Incubation Graduation Presentation, in which 15 Taiwanese companies took part and showed the fruits of their labor.

According to the Council of Agriculture, agricultural start-ups focus more and more on the use of technology, and working with research institutions gives them a competitive edge in the global market. One success story is Taiwan's sweet potatoes, which were in the past considered to be peasant food.

K.K. Orchard, whose products can be found in Family Mart, has utilized software developed by the Institute for Information Industry that allows them to keep up with production and market needs. Meanwhile, Ching Chiuan Technological Agriculture Cooperation, which supplies 7-11 with their sweet potatoes, has improved the quantity and quality of their crops and received GLOBALG.AP. certification under the guidance of the agricultural authorities, reported the China Times.

Wang Shih-sian (王仕賢), the director of the Council of Agriculture's Department of Science and Technology, pointed out that many second-generation agricultural businesses are willing to cooperate with the public sector. The success of the two sweet potato producers indicates the great potential of modern agriculture in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/07
By: Flor Wang and Wu Chia-jung

Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) Taiwan's exports in July fell from June and were slightly down year-on-year due to the ongoing trade disputes between Washington and Beijing, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) reported Wednesday.

Taiwan's exports in July totaled US$28.2 billion, down 0.5 percent year-on-year, while imports hit US$24.64 billion, an annual fall of 5.4 percent, leaving the country with a trade surplus of US$3.56 billion, MOF statistics showed.

Speaking at a news conference, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) attributed July's drop in export growth to the ongoing trade war between the United States and China, which has slowed global economic expansion.

That has reduced the international prices of raw materials, impacting conventional businesses such as basic metals, rubber, plastic and chemical industries, whose exports all decreased by more than 10 percent last month, she said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s performers join world's biggest arts celebration for sixth year in a row

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/06
By:  Taiwan News

Taiwan Season 2019 held a parade on Royal Mile during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (photo: Taiwan Season's Facebook page)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan Season 2019 paraded through the Royal Mile in Edinburgh on Aug. 5 to seek publicity and take part in the festive ambiance of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Taiwan Season, which is sponsored by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture, has returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the sixth consecutive year. Four Taiwanese groups are performing in the Fringe this year, including Chang Dance Theatre (長弓舞蹈劇場), Shinehouse Theatre (曉劇場), B. DANCE (丞舞製作團隊), and Dua Shin Te Production (大身體製造).

On Monday afternoon (Aug. 5), Lin Yung-lo (林永樂), Taiwan's ambassador to the UK, and Jason Lien Chien-Chen Lien (連建辰), director general of the Taipei Representative Office in the U.K.'s Edinburgh Office, led the four performance groups through Edinburgh's boisterous Royal Mile. Edinburgh Council Deputy Leader Cammy Day and Councilor Donald Wilson also joined the parade, reported CNA.

The performers' costumes and the exquisite puppets they were holding piqued festival-goers' interest, and many of them stopped to inquire about the details of their upcoming performances. At the opening party that night, Lin praised Taiwanese performance art for having broken through cultural and language barriers and linked Taiwan to the wider world.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/06
By: Tsai Fan-min and Ko Lin

Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) Taiwan's consumer price index (CPI) rose slightly by 0.40 percent in July from a year earlier, according to government statistics released Tuesday.

The core CPI, which excludes fruit, vegetables and energy, rose 0.34 percent year-on-year in July, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

The cost of a basket of 17 government-monitored household necessities, including rice, pork, bread, eggs, sugar, cooking oil, shampoo and toilet paper, dropped 0.46 percent from a year earlier in July, the data showed.

It was the first drop in 40 months, mainly due to an oversupply of eggs, which experienced a price drop of 4.21 percent year-on-year, the DGBAS said.    [FULL  STYORY]

MIXED REPORT:FPCC,  Nan Ya Plastics, FPC and Formosa Chemicals & Fibre said revenue fell when compared with July last year, yet all but FPC saw it rise over June

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 07, 2019
By: Kwan Shin-han  /  Staff reporter

Formosa Plastics Group’s (FPG, 台塑集團) four major subsidiaries yesterday reported lower sales for last month as a result of falling prices and declining demand.

Formosa Petrochemical Corp (FPCC, 台塑石化) saw shipments of refined petroleum products increase 1,135 barrels from a year earlier, but its revenue still declined 9.02 percent annually to NT$57.07 billion (US$1.81 billion) although it was up 3.11 percent from June, as crude oil prices remained low, FPCC president Tsao Minh (曹明) told a media briefing in Taipei.

Revenue for this quarter is expected to be better than last quarter on the back of increasing demand for both oil and olefin products ahead of holiday seasons and the steady spreads of oil products, Tsao said.

Nan Ya Plastics Corp’s (南亞塑膠) revenue dropped 13.6 percent year-on-year to NT$24.56 billion, as the prices of two of its main chemical products plunged, with ethylene glycol down 40.5 percent and bisphenol-A down 38 percent, Nan Ya chairman Wu Chia-chau (吳嘉昭) said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/05
By: Pan Tsu-yu and Frances Huang

Taipei, Aug. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's foreign exchange reserves hit a record high at the end of July largely because of higher returns on the central bank's investment portfolio, the bank said Monday.

The country's forex reserves were US$467.23 billion as of the end of July, up US$261 million, or 0.06 percent, from a month earlier, according to data compiled by the central bank.

The increase was smaller than the month-on-month rise of US$2.54 billion in June, however, because a weaker euro dragged down the U.S. dollar value of euro-denominated assets in the central bank's investment portfolio.

At the end of July, the holdings of Taiwanese stocks, bonds and Taiwan dollar-denominated deposits by foreign investors totaled US$376.8 billion, up from US$367.9 billion at the end of June.
[FULL  STORY]

HTC terminated business in India in 2018 due to lackluster sales

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/02
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwanese consumer electronics company HTC is reportedly making a comeback in India after ceasing its operations in the South Asian country last year.

A new line of HTC smartphones is expected to be rolled out in August, said the India Express. HTC will be selling its products through Inone Technology, a company entitled to the branding rights of HTC merchandise sold in India.

BGR wrote that Inone Technology, which is headquartered in Shenzhen, China, has a presence in a number of countries, including India. The company, which specializes in retail business and mobile phone manufacturing, will help distribute HTC's new devices.

According to the India Express, HTC sales have been sluggish in the country, which can be attributed to fierce competition from Chinese industry players, its slow adaptation to e-commerce platforms, and unimpressive management decisions. The company would have to develop a sounder business model upon re-entry to compete with rivals like Samsung, Oppo, and Xiaomi.
[FULL  STORY]