NPUST and the Taiwan Tea Corporation (TTC) have entered into a strategic partnership with the signing of an agreement designed to help inject new life into Taiwan’s tea industry. The agreement was signed into effect by the TTC Chairman, Wu Ching-Yuan, and NPUST President, Chang-Hsien Tai, on December 5th at the NPUST campus.
Presently one of the most popular beverages in the world, the modern form of tea drinking can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty, in China. In the centuries that followed, global trade would allow for tea products to find their place in market places far and wide, and help grow the industry to incredible proportions. According to statistics from the Council of Agriculture, in 2018, the tea industry in Taiwan had 12,079 hectares of land dedicated to production and with a total harvest for the year coming in at around 14,700 metric tons. In terms of value, this crop contributed around 7.5 billion NTD to the economy. And now, NPUST and TTC are working together to add new value to the industry by emphasizing efficiency and practicing innovation.
During the signing ceremony, NPUST President Chang-Hsien Tai made some remarks, stating that “the use of Smart technology in cultivation can allow the tea crop quality to become more stable, while reducing production costs. The tea trees themselves are also very valuable as they contain rich nutrients which are very beneficial to one’s health –this can be used to increase overall production value. The agreement will allow for academic-industry cooperation and will be beneficial for students seeking employment after graduation.”
TTC chair added that “through academic-industry cooperation, students can develop upon their theoretic foundations by acquiring practical experience. In the future, in terms of industry talent, these students will be setting themselves up to become the type of people needed by the Taiwan Tea Corporation—and so we expect that through this cooperative relationship, TTC and NPUST will be able to move to the next level while creating a win-win situation for those involved.”
The Taiwan Tea Corporation was established in 1899; originally operating as the Japanese Mitsui & Co., Ltd. This centenarian company is one of Taiwan’s few listed tea companies and has branches in northern Taiwan, Miaoli, Nantou and Pingtung. Its Laopi Farm in Neipu County, Pingtung is 717 hectares in size, 500 of which are dedicated to tea crop cultivation. Cultivation and management is done with large scales equipment, irrigation systems and drones – for the greatest efficiency.
NPUST has seen outstanding results in its research on pest and disease control, ingredient extraction technology, food processing, product diversification and agricultural equipment development. With respect to academic research, the university also puts considerable emphasis on cross-disciplinary integration, bringing together resources from across the university and applying them to real-world situations. Considerable focus is being given to methods of incorporating smart technology into agricultural practices with such tools as UAVs, sensory devices, automated equipment and irrigation systems, and technology for conducting logistics management and big data analysis. Taiwan Tea Corp has already made major contributions to the tea industry in Taiwan; and now, through the adoption of innovative techniques and the application of large-scale cultivation models, production efficiency and output value are certain to see a rise. Working as partners, NPUST and TTC will be able to cultivate managers, develop technology, and diversify products much more effectively– all of which, it is anticipated, will help the tea industry to experience a burst of new energy.
