Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/23/2020
By: Wang Shu-ching and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, June 23 (CNA) Taiwan's food and beverage industry came roaring back in May with a monthly sales growth of 29 percent, the largest single-month gain on record, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Wednesday.

Food and beverage vendors saw their sales rise by 29 percent to NT$61.9 billion (US$2.1 billion) in May, although the figure was 8.7 percent lower than the NT$67.9 billion recorded in the same month last year, according to MOEA data.

The strong monthly growth was driven by the reduced risk of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Taiwan, as well as the Labor Day holiday weekend and family outings to celebrate Mother's Day, Wang Shu-chuan (王淑娟), deputy head of the MOEA's statistics department, said in a press release.

The country's retail industry also recovered in May, with sales growing by a monthly 8.3 percent to NT$300.8 billion, as consumers flocked back to shops and malls, Wang said.
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