The Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, July 14, that the first container of Paraguayan poultry has now been sealed ahead of shipment to Taiwan. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) announced that Taiwan would begin importing poultry from Paraguay in May, during Paraguayan President Santiago Peña’s recent visit to the country.

Lai announced that Taiwan would formally open its market to imports of Paraguayan poultry, further deepening bilateral economic and trade cooperation, during Peña’s state visit to Taiwan from May 7 to 10 this year.

The Foreign Ministry added that Paraguay is an agricultural and livestock-producing country, and that both beef and pork from the country have already been imported with positive results. It added that Paraguay’s poultry industry now eagerly awaits similar success.

Peña said in a social media post on July 8 that he had witnessed a historic moment as the first shipment of 150 metric tons of poultry was sealed for shipment to Taiwan. He added that this reflected the strong friendship between the two countries and represented the successful market opening achieved during his last visit to Taiwan.