The two sides of the Taiwan Straits must further improve their agricultural collaboration relations and do away with barriers, said agricultural experts here attending the recently concluded forum of elites from both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

"Different advantages in agricultural production, similar geographical position and cultural backgrounds between the two sides have lent giant potential to their farm produce trades", said Lu Yun, a professor specializing in agricultural economy with prestigious Taiwan University.

According to statistics provided by Prof. Lu, Taiwan's agricultural exports to the mainland had grown from 5.81 million US dollars in 1995 to 291 million in 2004. By late 2000, the amount invested by Taiwan business people on the mainland's agricultural industry reached 3.5 billion US dollars.

The relatively low land and labor costs, the economy of scale and the expanding sales market on the mainland are all of great attraction for the Taiwanese businessmen, said Lu.

"It has a bearing on the benefits of the people from both sides to promote agricultural economic and trade relations toward the direction of normalization," he said.

Lu said the sale of Taiwan fruits on the mainland will serve as a positive example for the normalization of cross-Strait agricultural produce trading and investment relations.

"The two sides may well learn from each other's strong points to offset their weaknesses," said Song Hongyuan, deputy director of the Rural

Economy Research Center under the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture.

"They can draw on the other side's advantages to achieve win-win results," he said.

With the two sides entering the World Trade Organization, he said, "It's an inevitable trend for them to join hands to form a long-term communication and cooperation mechanism."

Source: Xinhua