TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Yunlin Farmers' Association will lead eight businesses to Foodex Japan on March 11-14.

This year's event, held in Tokyo Big Sight, will mark its 50th anniversary. The expo will attract more than 70 countries and 3,000 global food brands.

The county government’s agriculture department held a news conference Monday, where the association highlighted 20 local agricultural products to be featured at the event. These include coffee, peanuts, pineapples, rice, and ready-to-eat products, per CNA.

Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan (張麗善) said the expo will help secure more international orders. In addition to showcasing the county's agricultural products, the delegation will seek to negotiate with Japanese food industry players to promote bilateral trade.

Wei Sheng-te (魏勝德), director of the county’s agriculture department, said that Foodex Japan is one of the top three food exhibitions in the world. Last year, Yunlin secured NT$150 million (US$4.7 million) in orders at the event.

Last year's event attracted around 2,500 exhibitors from more than 60 countries and drew over 70,000 visitors. The Taiwan delegation featured 178 companies with 189 booths, showcasing organic foods, ready-to-eat meal kits, dried fruits, desserts, and chicken essence.

Taiwan's agricultural food exports to Japan reached nearly NT$21.96 billion in 2023, accounting for 14.7% of the food export value. Japan is also Taiwan's second-largest market for agricultural food exports.