Father Orchid¡XZhou Bo-qi
(By Chen Li-wen, Editing Department)
The Taiwan International Orchid Show 2005 ended on April 10. Amongst nearly 100 orchid growers participating in the show, the 35-year-old Zhou Bo-zi was one of a handful orchid growers who moved into Phase I of the Taiwan Orchid Plantation. Though the Fangmei Orchids he runs is not cash-rich, with the low-interest loans from the Council of Agricultural (COA), Zhou could build a well-equipped glasshouse for growing orchids.
¡§Plants must be scared in order to grow better!¡¨ explained Zhou vividly about why we need to ¡§scare¡¨ orchids by holding 2 pots of phalaenopsis in different tones, ¡§this one with a brighter tone was grown on the mountain about 1,000m from sea level. They grow better for reproduction because their survival is threatened by the environment.¡¨ Zhou who demand quality spends more on transportation and ¡§force majeure¡¨ because he wants to grow better orchids. According to a temple which orders orchids from Zhou over time, ¡§Flowers withered quickly because of the ethylene produced from burning incense at the altar. However, orchids from Zhou have a longer florescence than ordinary flowers. More importantly, they are cheaper than the roses.¡¨
The family business Fangmei Orchids of Zhou never commercialized over the past 30 years. Therefore, it lacked opportunities for exchanging information with the outside world. Though the family was the first to grow Cymbidium goeringii in Taiwan, they didn¡¦t registered the species at the Agriculture and Food Agency of COA. As a result, competitors developed the Wanjiaxi and Phal. Taipei Gold species after obtaining the bulb root from Zhou¡¦s uncle and even registered them under their own names. Zhou said, ¡§It was a pity! So we are going out now!¡¨ With the passion for orchids, Zhou completed his study and worked in Taipei for 10 years before going home, a place filled with the fragrance of orchids. Now, Zhou is going to revolutionize the ¡§closed door policy¡¨ of his family business. He participated in international orchid shows and used the Taiwan Orchid Plantation as the exchange platform to promote Fangmei Orchids to the world. As the representative of the few orchid growers moving into the Plantation, the self-motivated Zhou has a beautiful blueprint of his own: orchid farmers entering the Plantation greenhouses become neighbors and form strategic alliances, and support one another in orchid supply and information integration.
Premium quality orchids are from the Netherlands, cheap orchids are from China, so variety has become the only competitive strength of Taiwan which is sandwiched between these two countries. Whenever foreign orchid growers want to buy bulb roots from Zhou¡¦s orchid for private culturing, he insists to sell only the common old species, even though the price may be lower. He believes that even though he can make more money by selling them new species, it will mean damage to the orchid industry of Taiwan for the long run. ¡§Continual innovation is the only thing that makes Formosan phalaenopsis famous around the world,¡¨ said Zhou proudly.
According to Zhou, buying orchids from Taiwan is like buying a lottery ticket. There are different species for different climates. When low-temperature orchids are sold to tropical countries, the florescence will be shortened. It requires luck for people who know little about growing orchids to buy the right orchid for themselves. Zhou urges, growing orchids is like taking care of children: we can¡¦t spare the rod! Holding a gorgeous phalaenopsis, Zhou said in a gentle voice, ¡§Selling flowers is like marrying a daughter to someone, people will take it if they like it.¡¨ In Zhou¡¦s eyes, every orchid is like a child of his own, and every piece is unique and perfect. If you ask him to pick one for you, you must be killing him!
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