The NPUST College of Management and the Office for Continuing and Extension Education jointly commissioned the “Nongshili Agriculture Management and Consulting Company” to organize the 2022 Taiwan Banana Quality Evaluation and Added-Value Promotional Activity. On the same day that the university celebrated its 98th Anniversary, 32 banana growers were invited to participate in an evaluation process which was followed up by a promotional marketing campaign that brought together the academic professionalism of NPUST, the technology of the Banana Research Institute, and the broad reach of the Banana Strategic Alliance.
A number of distinguished guests were in attendance for the opening ceremony, including Agriculture and Food Agency section chief Li-Yi Chen; Banana Research Institute director Chu-ying Chiu; NPUST president Chin-Lung Chang; head of the Office of International Linkages for Research and Development, Mapúa University, Delia B. Senoro, and a number of high-level university representatives.
Based on the evaluation results, the names of the top three banana growers, in order, were: Shou-chia Chien (簡守佳), Kuang-jung Liu (劉光榮), and Cheng-mou Tseng (曾丁謀). Honorable mentions were given to seven other growers.
Agriculture and Food Agency section chief Li-Yi Chen said “in recent years, Taiwan has mainly been producing bananas for its domestic market, with an annual output of around 360,000 metric tons. Efforts made by the Banana Research Institute have resulted in the creation of a number of new varieties—and through cooperation with many food companies, various agricultural products have been developed, such as green banana chips, banana milk, and others. In the future, we look forward to seeing these value-added banana products sold on the market”.
NPUST president Chin-Lung Chang said “the Nongshili Agricultural Management and Consulting Company was commissioned to organize the event. This consulting company is a new start-up founded by students from our Department of Agribusiness Management with the aim of combining theory with practical application. Hopes are that they will be able to use modern management consulting services for the promotion of agriculture products”. Adding to this, Banana Research Institute director Chu-ying Chiu said, “bananas are the fourth largest agricultural product in the world and the entire tree and fruit can be made used of. From green bananas to yellow bananas, there are different nutritional properties and different flavors available, and so, a variety of products can be developed. Additionally, the banana pseudostem is rich in fiber and is very suitable for circular economies. We hope that today’s evaluations will help the banana industry become more active”.
The NPUST College of Management and Office for Continuing and Extension Education have been working together many years to find solutions to agricultural surplus problems via product development and marketing campaigns. They look forward to more cross-domain cooperation with the Banana Research Institute in the future and to the creation of new products and new potential for the banana industry.
