This report outlines traditional agri-food trade across core commodities, while also highlighting a surge in high-tech machinery and equipment exports, driven by Taiwan's growing demand for labor-saving automation, sustainability and advanced agricultural infrastructure.
Beeld: © Hortitechs Inc.,
Priva Vialux UV disinfection systems in a local greenhouse
General trends
In 2025, Taiwan’s agricultural trade value rose 3.2%. The United States remained Taiwan’s primary partner, with agricultural and related exports reaching €668 million, representing a 25.6% share of the total import market,
Since late 2021, the Executive Yuan has implemented periodic tax and tariff relief to combat global inflation. These measures, typically extended in three-to-six-month intervals, remained active throughout 2025 following multiple reviews and continue to be in effect in 2026. These included a 100% waiver of the 5% business tax on imported soybeans, corn, and wheat, as these 3 items account for over 15.9% of Taiwan's total import value, alongside a 50% tariff reduction on beef. Such policies facilitated a surge in high-value imports; beef and beef product imports alone were valued at €1.3 billion, while poultry imports grew to 238,666 metric tons. These strategic trade maneuvers ensured a stable supply chain for Taiwan’s €30.27 billion food processing industry.
As Taiwan’s food processing industry and agricultural production sectors gradually transform in pursuit of stricter food safety standards, environmental sustainability, and labor-saving automation, Taiwanese producers have demonstrated a high level of trust in advanced Dutch agricultural technology. Beyond traditional commodities, imports of high-tech Dutch agricultural machinery have experienced strong growth, particularly automated washing and grading equipment, dairy robotic milking systems, and greenhouse automation systems.
Overview of Dutch agricultural exports to Taiwan
In 2025, total Dutch agricultural exports to Taiwan reached €186.1 million, representing a slight adjustment of 7.2% compared to 2024. This change was primarily driven by local structural adjustments, notably Heineken’s accelerated local brewery production in Taiwan, which led to a sharp decrease in the import value of Dutch finished alcoholic beverages.
Despite this structural adjustment in alcoholic beverages, other core agricultural sectors showed resilience and growth. Processed potatoes, frozen pork, lily bulbs, and dairy products (such as cheese and milk powder) continue to serve as the four major pillars of bilateral trade.
| No./Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
| Commodity | Export | Commodity | Export | Commodity | Export | Commodity | Export | |
| EUR Mil. | EUR Mil. | EUR Mil. | EUR Mil. | |||||
| 1 | Alcoholic drink | 73 | Alcoholic drink | 72.8 | Other agriculture product | 46.4 | Other agriculture product | 45.1 |
| 2 | Other agriculture product | 40 | Other agriculture product | 37 | Alcoholic drink | 34 | Prepared cereal | 14.2 |
| 3 | Frozen Pork | 21 | Frozen Pork | 17.2 | Prepared potato | 15.6 | Frozen Pork | 13.1 |
| 4 | Prepared cereal | 24 | Lily bulbs | 14.3 | Other livestock products | 14.1 | Prepared potato | 12.7 |
| 5 | Prepared potato | 16 | Other livestock products | 14 | Lily bulbs | 13 | Lily bulbs | 12.1 |
| 6 | Livestock feed | 11.8 | Prepared potato | 13.9 | Frozen Pork | 12.1 | Other livestock products | 11.1 |
| 7 | Other livestock products | 13.8 | Pig offal | 9.98 | Feed product | 11 | Feed product | 8.5 |
| 8 | Lily bulbs | 13.5 | Livestock feed | 9.8 | Pig offal | 8.2 | Cheese | 7 |
| 9 | Cheese | 6.9 | Cheese | 7.0 | Cheese | 6 | Alcoholic drink | 6.9 |
| 10 | Pig offal | 9.3 | Prepared cereal | 3.9 | Milk powder | 4.9 | Milk powder | 5.9 |
Source: Agricultural Statistics Databse, Ministry of Agriculture, ROC
High-Tech breakthroughs: Dutch agricultural machinery exports
Taiwan's agricultural sector faces demographic shifts, labor shortages, and rising demands for food safety and animal welfare. Consequently, Taiwanese agribusinesses and farm operators have turned to importing Dutch engineering technology. Taiwan's long-term reliance on high-tech Dutch agricultural machinery is reflected in the significant import growth across three primary machinery categories.
| Machinery Category / CCC Code | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|
Egg & Agricultural Product Cleaning & Grading Equipment (CCC 843360) | 2,086,194 | 1,751,940 | 222,891 | 347,920 | 100,556 | 2,235,170 |
|
Automated Milking Machines & Dairy Robotics (CCC 843410-20) | 191,774 | 0 | 177,057 | 434,531 | 527,552 | 630,615 |
|
Greenhouse Automated Conveying & Elevating Equipment (CCC 84283900003) | 96,285 | 47,671 | 2,907,541 | 3,950 | 1,139,088 | 4,192,175 |
Source: International Trade Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, ROC
Egg & Agricultural Product Cleaning and Grading Systems: Automated grading, cleaning, and sorting equipment pioneered by Dutch manufacturers (such as MOBA) is vital to Taiwan's modern poultry and fresh produce industries. In 2025, import value rebounded strongly to €2,235,170 - achieving a remarkable YoY growth of +2,118.7% compared to 2024 (€100,556) and returning to historical peak levels.
Automated Milking Systems & Dairy Robotics: Taiwan's dairy farming sector is accelerating the adoption of automated milking systems (such as Lely robotic milkers) to increase yield, monitor cow health in real time, and solve labor bottlenecks. In 2025, Dutch milking machine imports reached a record high of €630,615, maintaining a steady upward trajectory (+19.3% YoY, up substantially from €191,774 in 2020).
Greenhouse Automation & Agricultural Conveying Machinery: Driven by the expansion of high-tech smart greenhouses and strong demand for automated logistics for lettuce and high-value crops, imports of Dutch continuous-action elevators and conveyors surged to €4,192,175 in 2025, representing a +267.3% increase over 2024 (€1,139,088).
Beeld: © Hortitechs Inc.,
HAWE mobile gutter system (MGS) in a new lettuce plant in Chiayi
Key drivers & strategic alignment
The continuous expansion of Dutch agricultural machinery in Taiwan reflects structural alignments between the two economies. Taiwanese agribusinesses demonstrate high trust in Dutch quality and innovation, recognizing Dutch machinery for its durability, precision, compliance with international hygiene standards, and advanced digital capabilities. This technology effectively mitigates agricultural labor shortages caused by an aging workforce, as introducing automation solutions—such as Lely milking robots and MOBA egg grading systems—allows Taiwanese farms to scale production while significantly reducing dependence on manual labor. Furthermore, these solutions offer strong alignment with Taiwan's agricultural transformation policies that prioritize upgrading food safety, environmentally friendly practices, and end-to-end supply chain traceability, all key areas where Dutch agricultural technology leads globally.
Below are several Taiwanese government subsidies applicable to Dutch agricultural technologies:
Greenhouse Facilities & Environmental Control: Managed by the Agriculture and Food Agency, providing 50% to 65% subsidies for structural greenhouses, environmental control systems, and automated fertigation systems.
Milking Robots & Smart Livestock Equipment: Administered by the National Animal Industry Foundation, providing up to 50% subsidies (excl. VAT) for smart milking robots, automated feed pushers, and manure-cleaning robots.
Labor-saving & Automated Farm Machinery: Managed by the Agriculture and Food Agency, covering labor-saving equipment, agricultural drones, and electric farm machinery, with subsidy coverage ranging from 1/3 to 1/2 of the total cost under a pre-approval procurement rule.
Conclusion
The bilateral agricultural trade relationship between the Netherlands and Taiwan is evolving into a high-end ecosystem that combines premium agri-food products with cutting-edge technology solutions. While traditional imports such as pork, processed potato products, dairy, and floriculture remain solid pillars, the agricultural machinery imports highlight a long-term, technology-driven partnership. As Taiwan's agriculture accelerates toward sustainability and automation, the Netherlands will continue to serve as an indispensable partner, providing top-tier agricultural products and transformative infrastructure.
The best opportunity to get to know the market and end users is to participate in or visit the local trade shows. LAN team Taipei organizes the Dutch Pavilion at the following trade shows in Taiwan
- The Asia-Pacific Agri-Tech Expo & Forum, June 2–4, 2027 at the Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Center (TICEC). Agritech Taiwan
- Food Taipei Mega Shows, June 23–26, 2027 at the Nangang Exhibition Center. Food Taipei Mega Shows
The Dutch Pavilion is dedicated to showcasing the Netherlands' leading agricultural technologies and food processing solutions, while actively promoting bilateral trade, policy coordination, and technical partnerships.
More information
Should you have any further questions on this report or inquire about exhibition planning or business matchmaking, please contact: TAI-LVVN@nlot.org.tw.