Office of Trade Negotiations: Government Has Not Opened Up Imports of Sprouted, Rotten Potatoes
Taiwan's Executive Yuan Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) denied media reports about opening up imports of sprouted or rotten potatoes. The OTN clarified that the document in question was a report prepared for a Legislative Yuan committee based on a specified topic, not representing the OTN's official view, and emphasized that the government has not allowed such imports.
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- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 19:28
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Lai Yu-chen, Taipei, 2nd) Media reported that a social media fan page discovered a written report from the Executive Yuan Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) mentioning phrases like "policy to allow whole batches of sliced potatoes with sprouts (or rotten or moldy) to be imported." The OTN clarified that the written report was a topic designated by a Legislative Yuan committee, not the OTN's viewpoint, and the government has not opened up imports of sprouted, rotten, or moldy potatoes.
Media reported that the Facebook fan page "Haha Vending Machine" today posted that a report submitted by the Executive Yuan Office of Trade Negotiations to the Legislative Yuan's Health and Environment Committee on April 15th, clearly stated in its title that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released the "2026 National Trade Estimate Report" (2026 NTE), and mentioned "the policy to allow whole batches of sliced potatoes with sprouts (or rotten or moldy) to be imported, emphasizing the impact of this action on our country's food safety and corresponding measures."
Regarding media re-posting of a citizen's Facebook post, the OTN issued a clarification stating that the related photo in the report was merely the cover of the report, and the title was written according to the topic set by the Legislative Yuan's Health and Environment Committee, not a viewpoint proposed by the OTN, and should not be deliberately distorted. Furthermore, the report's content did not involve the issue of "potato imports," but mainly explained the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, which have been long-term concerns of the U.S. side.
The OTN pointed out that the report also reviewed the years of communication between Taiwan and the U.S., and incorporated relevant progress from the Taiwan-U.S. Equivalent Trade Agreement (ART) signed on February 12th.
The OTN emphasized that the government has not opened up imports of sprouted, rotten, or moldy potatoes. (Editor: Lin Ke-lun) 1150502
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(Central News Agency reporter Lai Yu-chen, Taipei, 2nd) Media reported that a social media fan page discovered a written report from the Executive Yuan Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) mentioning phrases like "policy to allow whole batches of sliced potatoes with sprouts (or rotten or moldy) to be imported." The OTN clarified that the written report was a topic designated by a Legislative Yuan committee, not the OTN's viewpoint, and the government has not opened up imports of sprouted, rotten, or moldy potatoes.
Media reported that the Facebook fan page "Haha Vending Machine" today posted that a report submitted by the Executive Yuan Office of Trade Negotiations to the Legislative Yuan's Health and Environment Committee on April 15th, clearly stated in its title that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released the "2026 National Trade Estimate Report" (2026 NTE), and mentioned "the policy to allow whole batches of sliced potatoes with sprouts (or rotten or moldy) to be imported, emphasizing the impact of this action on our country's food safety and corresponding measures."
Regarding media re-posting of a citizen's Facebook post, the OTN issued a clarification stating that the related photo in the report was merely the cover of the report, and the title was written according to the topic set by the Legislative Yuan's Health and Environment Committee, not a viewpoint proposed by the OTN, and should not be deliberately distorted. Furthermore, the report's content did not involve the issue of "potato imports," but mainly explained the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, which have been long-term concerns of the U.S. side.
The OTN pointed out that the report also reviewed the years of communication between Taiwan and the U.S., and incorporated relevant progress from the Taiwan-U.S. Equivalent Trade Agreement (ART) signed on February 12th.
The OTN emphasized that the government has not opened up imports of sprouted, rotten, or moldy potatoes. (Editor: Lin Ke-lun) 1150502
Stand with the facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
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The text, images, and audio-visual content of this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.
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