2016 Volume 89 Issue 1 Pages 1-21
With increased imports of agricultural products to Japan, concerns over safety and quality increased. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare introduced “a positive list system” for agricultural chemical residues in food on May 29, 2006. Japan has been working hard to regulate residual agricultural chemicals. This paper examines how Taiwanese mangos are produced and exported to Japan. It also examines how Taiwan's market response to Japan focusing on safety and quality control has been influencing its mango-producing region and agriculture in general.
After Japan introduced the positive list system for agricultural chemical residues, the Executive Yuan Council of Agriculture established a production and exportation system conforming with Japanese safety standards. This mandatory registration system regulates mango exporters and cultivators under mango production contracts, and a pesticide residue inspection by cultivators must be carried out twice before mangos are shipped to Japan. In addition, the exporters and producers share information concerning safety and quality control for mangos. This information is disclosed to consumers through the traceability system of the Executive Yuan Council of Agriculture.
In Taiwan's mango-producing region, most growers who sell to both the Japanese and domestic markets use the same production and exportation system along with Japanese safety standards to grow Irwin mangos. Some producers, who are able to add value to their mangos by utilizing the traceability system that ensures food safety, also sell their mangos on the domestic market. This suggests that the traceability system developed for exportation to Japan has resulted in quality assurance that gives high added value to mango producers in Taiwan. Producing and exporting mangos utilizing the Japanese safety standards have therefore been playing a role in enhancing agricultural standards in Taiwan.
Changes in the system concerning food safety developed the traceability system and heightened the awareness of producers and exporters of the need for safety and cultivation management. Taiwan’s response to Japan focusing heavily on safety has also increased the incomes of mango growers. If Taiwan wants to continue exporting mangos to Japan, it is important for it to see the advantage of spending on labor and costs to ensure safety after the system changes. Moreover, mangos cultivated based on the production and exportation system along with Japanese safety standards have created a new differentiated domestic market. Taiwan's efforts for exportation to Japan with a heavy focus on safety have become one of the reasons why the agriculture sector in Taiwan diversified the market for domestic mangos.
Geographical Review of Japa,. Ser. A, Chirigaku Hyoron
