Taiwan Orchid Commercial Variety Service Center Sets Sail, Creating a New Course for the Industry

Taiwan has rich and diverse orchid germplasm and abundant breeding energy, with commercial varieties constantly being renewed, laying the foundation for orchids to be marketed around the world. However, because breeding germplasm is scattered among private individuals, the industry lacks a mechanism for the collection, testing and management of core varieties, which indirectly affects the overall business strategy for variety deployment and rights protection. To establish a core germplasm protection mechanism and promote variety transactions, in year 106 of the Republic of China calendar the Council of Agriculture guided the Tainan City Government in setting up an "Orchid Variety Commercial Service Center" at the Taiwan Orchid Biotechnology Park. In the future, through services such as variety preservation, physiological testing, label certification, sea freight storage and transport testing, overseas trial planting, new variety displays, marketing, global intellectual property deployment, and market information research and collection, it will lead Taiwan's orchid industry to once again enhance its industrial competitiveness through the integration of soft power and services.

The Council of Agriculture stated that Taiwan is the homeland of Phalaenopsis orchids, and through the joint efforts of industry, government, academia and research, it has created the reputation and miracle of the Phalaenopsis kingdom. In year 105 of the Republic of China calendar, Taiwan's annual orchid output value was nearly 6.2 billion yuan, and the export value reached 178.34 million US dollars, a twofold increase from the 56.48 million US dollars in export value in year 95, with shipping routes reaching all five continents; among these, Phalaenopsis exports amounted to 139.87 million US dollars, accounting for 78% of total orchid export value, and it has become a flagship export product.

The Council of Agriculture pointed out that in recent years, under the leadership of the Orchid Biotechnology Park and the annual Taiwan International Orchid Show, although the export advantage of the orchid industry remains strong, the competitiveness of the orchid industry urgently needs further integration and strengthening based on its original industrial advantages. In order to maintain excellent orchid germplasm and also allow breeders to exchange these germplasm and create commercial varieties with market value, the council guided the Tainan City Government to establish an "Orchid Variety Commercial Service Center", which in the future will integrate variety preservation, trial planting, display, marketing, intellectual property deployment, infringement assistance and information services into one, navigating the international deployment of Taiwan's orchid varieties and optimizing the industrial supply chain, and once again leading the world's orchid breeding trends and consumer trends.