The Council of Agriculture (COA) said it has achieved great success by assisting
Taiwan
’s flower industry in exporting flowers and participating in overseas exhibitions in recent years. With the Council’s continued support, the local flower industry won a gold medal in the Chelsea Flower Show 2011 sponsored by
Britain
’s Royal Horticultural Society in
Londonfollowing winning a silver medal last year, demonstrating the great strength of
Taiwan
’s flower industry in the world community. Queen Elizabeth II visited on May 23 the booth of Taiwan Orchid Growers Association and received the new commercial variety of Phalaenopsis orchid specially named after her. She praised repeatedly the creative performance of
Taiwan
flowers before touring other booths.
Hundred Varieties of Orchid Get More Exposure for
Taiwan
Flowers Internationally
Through the active efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 91-square meter booth leased by Taiwan Orchid Growers Association and Taiwan Florists’ Transworld Delivery Association was located right at the center of the exhibition site, attracting easily the attention of visitors to the flower show. To celebrate the 100th founding anniversary of the Republic of China, the
Taiwanteam brought 4,000
Taiwanproduced orchids of 100 varieties to
London
and used festive floral techniques to arrange the booth as a garden wedding scene in echoing the forthcoming Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding.
The fact that
Taiwanwon two medals in the Chelsea Flower Show in two consecutive years reflects the solid strength of
Taiwan
floral designs. And
Taiwan
flowers could be maintained in good freshness for a long time with particularly good display results during the exhibition, noted the COA.
The Council also pointed out that
Taiwan
has a flower planting area of more than 13,000 hectares with an annual output of NT$11.83 billion. Exports of
Taiwan
flowers totaled US$149.51 million in 2010, increasing 35% over the previous year. Among the exported
Taiwan
flowers, Phalaenopsis orchids were the most popular with an export value of US$82.55 million in 2010. In order to maintain the flower industry’s competitive advantages, the COA will continue strengthening the protection of Taiwan flower varieties’ intellectual property rights and reinforcing international marketing to promote the global flower market. (2011-05-25
)
