Though agriculture now accounts for less than 2% of Taiwan's GDP, it remains highly sophisticated and culturally significant. The fertile plains of the west and south are intensely cultivated.
Rice is the most important staple crop, followed by a wide variety of high-value tropical and subtropical fruits such as pineapples, mangoes, wax apples, and papayas. Taiwan is also world-renowned for its specialty teas, particularly high-mountain Oolong and black teas.
Livestock production focuses primarily on pork and poultry, both staples of the Taiwanese diet. Furthermore, Taiwan maintains one of the world's largest and most advanced distant-water fishing fleets, playing a major role in global seafood markets, alongside a robust domestic aquaculture industry.
