News » 29.08.2025 - Taiwan launches Floral Industry Innovation Center to boost global competitiveness
In a move to revitalize Taiwan's floriculture sector and solidify its standing on the global stage, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) officially launches the Floral Industry Innovation Center (FIIC) in September 2025. This newly established hub integrates resources from the Taiwan Orchid Technology Park and the Floriculture Experimental Branch of the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, forming the country's first dedicated institution combining R&D, industry support, and facility management.
High value, high impact: Taiwan's floriculture in the agricultural economy
While floriculture accounts for just 3.5% of Taiwan's total crop production value, or approximately 600 million USD annually, it plays an outsized role as a strategic, export-driven sector within the nation's agricultural portfolio. Unlike staple crops such as rice, vegetables, and tea—which are largely consumed domestically—flowers serve as a major force behind Taiwan's agricultural exports. In 2024, floriculture exports reached 210 million USD, representing 35% of the industry's total production value.
Taiwan's flagship floral exports, including Phalaenopsis, Oncidium, Lisianthus, Anthurium, and Pachira, hold strong competitive positions in global markets, reinforcing the country's role as a vital supplier in the international floriculture supply chain. Notably, the sector demonstrates exceptional land-use efficiency, with average output per hectare exceeding 41,000 USD, and orchid production reaching up to 283,000 USD per hectare—among the highest in the agricultural sector.
Given its high added value, global competitiveness, and strong potential for integration with green technologies, Taiwan's floriculture sector is increasingly recognized as a strategic agricultural industry. These distinctive attributes underscore the need for dedicated infrastructure and innovation leadership—precisely the role envisioned for the newly launched Floriculture Innovation Center.
Phalaenopsis, Lisianthus, Oncidium, and Anthurium are among Taiwan's major exported cut flowers, with Japan being the primary destination market.
Responding to shifting global dynamics
Taiwan's floriculture industry, once propelled by its seedling innovation and strong export orientation, is now navigating a rapidly evolving global landscape. The sector faces mounting pressure from several fronts: rising international tariffs, climate-induced production volatility, soaring input and labor costs, and intensifying competition from emerging countries, particularly those leveraging economies of scale, low-cost labor, and state-backed branding efforts.
Recent shifts in global trade policy, such as potential U.S. tariff increases on imported orchids, have introduced uncertainty into one of Taiwan's key export markets. Meanwhile, climate change has disrupted predictable flowering cycles and increased the need for investment in controlled environment agriculture. At the same time, countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and China are advancing in both production capacity and international market penetration, challenging Taiwan's long-standing edge in quality and variety.
In response, Taiwan's MOA has conducted an infrastructure development plan from 2025 to 2031 aimed at transforming the existing Taiwan Orchid Technology Park into a next-generation floriculture innovation cluster. This strategic overhaul seeks to modernize outdated infrastructure, expand production capacity, and accelerate the adoption of smart, sustainable practices.
"The Floral Industry Innovation Center is positioned as a flagship institution for modernizing and internationalizing Taiwan's floriculture," stated Minister Chen Jun-Ji.
Controlled-environment greenhouses for cut-rose production are gaining popularity in Taiwan due to their ability to ensure stable, year-round yields
Building Taiwan's first net-zero floral industry innovation park
At the heart of Taiwan's floriculture success story lies the Taiwan Orchid Technology Park, located in Houbi District, Tainan. Initially planned and developed beginning in 2003, the park spans 175 hectares and is now home to 68 enterprises engaged in orchid cultivation and international trade. By the end of 2024, it had attracted cumulative investments exceeding 7.5 billion USD, with an annual output value of approximately 68 million USD making it the largest and most intensively cultivated floricultural cluster in Asia. The park is renowned for its high-density greenhouse systems, precision horticulture, and strong orientation toward export markets. However, after two decades of operation, the park now faces capacity saturation and aging infrastructure. To address these constraints and meet evolving global challenges, Taiwan is now moving forward with a bold transformation.
The newly established Floral Industry Innovation Center will spearhead the development of Taiwan's first net-zero floriculture innovation park, extending westward with a second-generation site covering 120 hectares, adjacent to the original orchid park. This new site is designed to host next-generation facilities, including smart greenhouses, research and diagnostic labs for pests and diseases, innovation hubs, and a centralized logistics network—all tailored to enhance both export-oriented flower production and support emerging specialty crops.
The plan's key features encompass over 66 hectares of new production land, which will facilitate the creation of more than 1,400 new jobs and drive approximately 11.5 billion USD in economic value annually. Additionally, the plan includes a 3.6-hectare circular economy center focused on agricultural waste reuse and resource recovery, further enhancing its economic and environmental impact.
The Phase II expansion of the Orchid Technology Park will integrate advanced production and research infrastructure to establish the Floral Industry Innovation Park
A unified platform for research, industry, and sustainability
The Floral Industry Innovation Center will be anchored by a core vision: "Industry-driven focus, innovation-led transformation." It aims to lead the integration of breeding, production, postharvest handling, cold-chain logistics, and marketing to help local growers embrace automation, smart systems, and low-carbon technologies. To realize this, the center will implement a one-stop integrated service model, uniting research and development, technology validation, industrial support, and park operations under a single institutional framework. It will also deepen cross-sector collaboration among government agencies, academic institutions, and industry stakeholders, accelerating the translation of research into real-world applications. Key priorities include fostering a circular economy, driving the sector's green transition, and building a globally competitive, innovation-centered floriculture cluster.
"The Floral Industry Innovation Center is expected to serve as a strategic platform for integrating research, technology, and industry in Taiwan's horticulture," said Minister Chen.
Source: www.floraldaily.com
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