Taiwan's first textile export zone available before year-end

Taipei, Oct. 6, 2003 (CENS)--Touliu Export Processing Zone (TEPZ) in Yunlin County, central Taiwan will be available for interested enterprises to move in before the end of this year. The processing zone is established especially for textile manufacturers and is the first of its kind on the island.

The Export Processing Zone Administration (EPZA) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs indicated that TEPZ will serve as an R & D and manufacturing base exclusively for manufacturers in up-, mid- and down-stream of the textile industry. It is believed that the zone would create an advantageous cluster effect for the industry and offer low-price land lots to interested enterprises.

The purchasing price of the land for the establishment of plants in the zone is set at about NT$13,000 (US$382.4 at US$1 = NT$34) per ping (1 ping = 36 sq/ft), while the rental price is NT$50 (US$1.5) per ping per month.

An EPZA official said that if the zone is fully booked, it would create some 23,000 job opportunities and generate an estimated production value of NT$50 billion (US$1.5 billion) a year. Chang Chin-liang, deputy magistrate of Yunlin County, pointed out that the textile export zone could gather most textile manufacturers around the island at one place and boost the development of the textile industry in the county. He said the development of the zone is very likely to help make the county become Taiwan's Milan, a city in Italy famous for its textile industry.

Taiwan Filament Weaving Development Co., the major developer of the zone, said that the administration of the zone will offer a wide range of services to the enterprises stationing in the zone. Among the services are the installation of public facilities, industrial sanitary and security inspections, assistance to goods housing & storage, and the offering of Internet communications, health care, and financial services. Besides, all of the procedures for the establishment of plants in the zone can be speedily handled through a single window so that it can save time and trips for enterprises.

Director General of EPZA Chou Yen affirmed that the zone boasts great development potential, because it can serve as not only a production base for the textile industry, but also an exhibition center of textile products, which can offer one-stop shopping service for foreign buyers.