TAIPEI (TVBS News) — In a breakthrough for Taiwan's agricultural sector, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA, 農業部), Taiwan's government agency overseeing farming and food production, announced Friday (June 13) that Taiwanese mangos and guavas have secured coveted approval for export to the European Union's 27 member states. The authorization from the EU's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) represents a significant validation of Taiwan's sophisticated plant quarantine technology and rigorous pest risk management systems that have long sought access to the lucrative European market.
According to ministry officials, Taiwan can begin exporting these tropical fruits immediately to European markets, successfully navigating the EU's notoriously strict regulations on fruits susceptible to fruit fly infestations. This achievement comes after extensive work by Taiwan's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (動植物防疫防檢署), the island's equivalent to the USDA's APHIS, which drew upon decades of expertise in developing advanced quarantine treatment protocols. The agency meticulously compiled comprehensive scientific documentation demonstrating their pest eradication methods' effectiveness, ultimately convincing EU regulators to grant the coveted market access that many Asian agricultural exporters have struggled to obtain.
Under the new approval, Taiwan's prized mangos will require a carefully monitored 30-minute vapor heat treatment at 46.5 degrees Celsius (115.7°F) conducted under the strict supervision of quarantine officials before being cleared for European markets. Taiwanese guavas, having demonstrated their natural resistance to fruit flies and other quarantine pests through extensive scientific testing, face fewer restrictions for export. Agricultural experts view this dual approval as significant international recognition of Taiwan's sophisticated phytosanitary systems, potentially opening doors for additional Taiwanese fruits to enter the discriminating European marketplace in the future.
The EU approval builds upon Taiwan's established success in exporting its premium mangoes to markets across Asia-Pacific, including Japan, South Korea, and Australia, as well as to North American destinations like the United States and Canada, and even to China despite complex cross-strait relations. The Ministry of Agriculture has outlined an ambitious market development strategy involving Taiwan's overseas trade offices and the extensive network of Taiwanese chambers of commerce throughout Europe to identify distribution channels and establish reliable supply chains. Officials expressed particular interest in deepening agricultural partnerships with the Netherlands — Europe's primary produce distribution hub — and France, where culinary appreciation for exotic fruits could help position Taiwan's agricultural exports as premium products, strengthening the island's global agricultural brand identity. ◼
