Jaushieh Joseph Wu
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of China (Taiwan)
October 6, 2021
(As Prepared for Delivery)
Ladies and gentleman
Greetings!
On behalf of the people and government of Taiwan, I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Since its establishment in 1970, the FFTC has played a unique role among the world's international agricultural centers. It not only serves as a critical pivot between international and domestic agricultural research institutes in the region, but also keeps farmers up to date with the latest technologies, and to help them achieve higher yields and incomes.
For half a century, the FFTC has successfully implemented projects to eliminate crop diseases, increase food production, and enhance the food value chain. Under the leadership of Dr.張淑賢 and its previous directors, the center has united thousands of international experts, industry partners, and farmers to build an invaluable knowledge-sharing network. Its work has been indispensable in bringing economic prosperity to the Asia-Pacific and safeguarding the region's food security.
As the host country and a founding member, Taiwan has worked closely with the center to share its expertise with the international community. For example, Taiwan is proud to sponsor the FFTC's Dragon Fruit Network, which assists tropical fruit growers in South and Southeast Asia to achieve higher incomes by strengthening their competitiveness in the global market.
In order to expand cooperation with more partners across the globe, Taiwan and the FFTC are planning to cohost a workshop on smart agriculture for the first time under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF). Smart agriculture will add to the many important issues that the GCTF has focused on, such as public health and women's empowerment. I'd like to take this opportunity to wish the FFTC great success in hosting the GCTF smart agriculture workshop.
As a reliable partner, Taiwan is firmly committed to cooperating with the FFTC and its members to develop agricultural technology and promote economic development. In this way, I believe we will build a better and more prosperous tomorrow.
In conclusion, I would like to once again extend my sincere congratulations to the FFTC, and my best wishes for your continued success in the years to come. Thank you!