National University of Kaohsiung and sunflower field 20180305

Floriculture Floriculture, or flower farming, is a branch of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry. The development of new varieties by plant breeding is ...

is a significant industry in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. Taiwan is one of the largest flower exporters in the world and the top producer of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

Overview

In 2011 Taiwan was one of the largest flower exporters in the world and the top producer of orchids. In 2013, Taiwan harvested

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s with a total value of NT$16.52 billion, in which US$189.7 million of it was exported. Flower plantation land spreads over an area of 138 km2. Chrysanthemum floriculture takes the most land share among other types of flowers. Taiwan is the world's largest exporter of

s, which represented 87% of the flower export value in 2013. The main export markets for Taiwanese flowers are the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, Japan and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Small scale growers receive extensive government and private support, many of these small flower growers are multi-generation family farms. Tianwei is a traditional center of the industry and is known as the “land of flowers."

History

The high-end orchid industry began in the 1970s with amateurs and hobbyists collecting and cultivating specimens. Due to the economic expansion of Taiwan’s economy during this period these hobbyists where able to devote significant resources to developing and crossbreeding orchids. This created a dedicated local market for very expensive innovative flowers. In the 1980s major Taiwanese corporations noticed the market and began mass production with the help of Dutch companies and cultivation techniques. In the early 1990s Taiwanese flower producers played an important part in starting the modern floriculture industry in China, particularly around Kunming. In 2005 Taiwan overtook Thailand as the world’s top orchid producer. The export oriented flower market suffered during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

with an increase in domestic consumption and government support necessary to keep the industry profitable. In 2022 Taiwan was by far the largest exporter of orchids to the United States.

Markets

The Taipei Flower Market is the largest plant and flower market in Taiwan.

Organizations

The Taiwan Floriculture Development Association is the primary industry association. Associations also exist for high value sub-groups such as orchid producers.

References

{{Horticulture and gardening

Horticulture in Taiwan

Overview

History

Markets

Organizations

See also

References