TAIWAN LIKELY TO BUY MORE U.S. SOYBEANS
A 50 pct cut in the import tariff for
soybeans should help boost 1987 U.S. Soybean exports to Taiwan,
a spokesman for the joint committee of soybean importers told
Reuters.
    He said the cut to 3.5 from seven pct was approved by the
cabinet yesterday and would go into effect within a week.
    The cut will encourage local importers to increase 1987
soybean imports to 1.9 mln tonnes from 1.74 mln last year, he
said. The previous target for 1987 was 1.81 tonnes.
    Taiwan imports more than 90 pct of its soybeans from the
U.S. And the rest from South America.
    The spokesman said the increase in imports from the U.S. Is
in line with government efforts to reduce Taiwan's trade
surplus with Washington, which rose to 3.61 billion U.S. Dlrs
in the first quarter of 1987 from 2.78 billion a year ago.
    "The tariff cut is very helpful for American suppliers (who
want) to boost their exports to Taiwan," Steve Chen, country
director of the American Soybean Association, told Reuters.
 REUTER
