TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan will send a delegation to the US in September to buy agricultural products, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said Thursday.

The visit is intended to boost imports from the US and avoid tariffs on Taiwan’s farm exports, per Liberty Times. Last year, Taiwan exported US$887 million (NT$29.28 billion) worth of farm products to the US, while agricultural imports from the US totaled US$3.79 billion.

Taiwan is highly dependent on imports of wheat, soybeans, and corn. The amount of corn imports from the US reached 1.72 million tonnes in 2024, double the previous year's total.

On Thursday, Lin attended the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Changhua’s Hexing Agriculture and Livestock Production Cooperative and The DeLong Co., Inc. from the US. The agreement is expected to lead to the purchase of 120,000 tonnes of US animal feed per year by the Taiwanese group including 100 hog farms.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would encourage more US grain traders to look for representatives in Taiwan to familiarize local buyers with their product. The ministry also promised financial assistance to farm businesses planning to import US animal feed.