Orchid can be called Taiwan’s superstar product. The orchid industry started to take off and rose higher and higher more than 20 years ago while its brilliant performance has won global admiration.

“Taiwan orchids had an output value of US$116 million in 2010, increasing 36% over 2009,” noted Mr. Tseng Jun-liang, deputy secretary-general of the Taiwan Orchid Growers Association.

Taiwan orchid growers had started the collection of orchid varieties throughout the world during the Japanese colonial period and early years of the Republic of China. In the 1950s orchid-loving and orchid-growing population in Taiwan had doubled after an orchid post stamp made this flower widely known. “I grew up in the world of Taiwan orchids,” said Mr. Tseng, who was born in an orchid-growing family and has cultivated orchids for more than two decades. Taiwan entered the period of orchid variety collection, breeding and appreciation in the 1970s, not only growing orchids with excellent quality but also being rich in genetic resources.

In the 1980s Taiwan orchids have transformed from cultivating out of interest to planting them on a commercial scale. “Growing orchids can be profitable. Over the past 20 years, orchid-growing hardware has been expanded gradually from simple greenhouses to automation equipment. Because of upgraded equipment, plus the introduction of new concepts and techniques, orchid-growing in Taiwan has entered an industrial scale with very amazing results,” added Tseng.

In addition to hardware, a new variety of orchid with black spots appeared in Taiwan in the 1980s. Since then orchid growers have bred plenty orchid varieties with different colors and spots. That orchid with black spots has contributed greatly to Taiwan orchids’ being very famous in the world.

Originally the global demand for bonsai was mainly chrysanthemum, and then it was poinsettia. Later on, the whole world was looking for a flower to replace poinsettia and Phalaenopsis, orchid was finally deemed the flower with greatest potential.

How Taiwan has caught the wave of global boom for Phalaenopsis orchids? “Although we have penetrated the European market on our own, but we need to thanks the Netherlands for Taiwan orchids have made such a brilliant performance. At the beginning Holland got orchid varieties from Taiwan, but they selected certain Taiwan orchid varieties after careful analysis and then decided to choose only a few for mass production,” pointed out Tseng.

Besides, Holland has sophisticated biotechnology and extensive experience of business operations. Introducing Holland’s industrial operations including experience and concepts was the turning point in Taiwan’s export of orchids. Taiwan’s orchid varieties plus Holland business operations have finally enabled Taiwan to enter the European market.

After obtaining U.S. greenhouse certification, Taiwan orchid growers with greenhouse facilities and management completely in line with the requirement of the U.S. Department of Agriculture so it have been allowed to export with soil or aquatic plants to the American market. Together with upgraded shipping techniques, the vitality and quality of exported Taiwan orchids are guaranteed. Later on, Taiwan orchid growers obtained certifications for orchid exported to Canada and New Zealand. So while Phalaenopsis orchid took the place of poinsettia to become the champion flower of the century, Taiwan orchid also became a well-known potted flower throughout the world.

“Agriculture can be profitable. As long as young people chose to settle down and break myth, they would not make less money than office workers when engaging in agriculture with creative techniques and concepts as well as exact information,” stressed Tseng. Indeed, the brilliantly surging Taiwan orchid industry is evidence to his remarks.