COA of the Executive Yuan: Continues to Assist Taiwan Butterfly Orchid International Exports

The COA of the Executive Yuan stated that the United States Department of Agriculture announced on February 11 its approval for mainland China to export butterfly orchid plants with growing medium to the U.S. mainland, effective from March 14. In the future, mainland China will be one of Taiwan's competitors in butterfly orchid exports to the United States. The council noted that after years of effort by both government and private breeders, Taiwan's butterfly orchid varieties are rich and diverse. The government will continue to assist the industry in implementing pest and disease management in orchid nurseries, strengthening the overseas layout of variety rights, and expanding emerging markets, continuously producing high-quality butterfly orchids to actively face challenges and ensure the market share of our butterfly orchid plants with growing medium in the United States.

Taiwan's Butterfly Orchid Cultivation and Breeding Technology Is Advanced, Pest and Disease Management Is Implemented, and Plant Quality Is Excellent

The COA of the Executive Yuan explained that our butterfly orchids broke through the United States quarantine barrier in year 93 (2004), obtaining the world's only advantage of being able to be exported to the United States with growing medium. Our Oncidium plants were even the first to obtain U.S. approval for export with growing medium on February 4, year 105 (2016), effective from March 7, creating another world first. In recent years, Taiwan's butterfly orchid cultivation greenhouse equipment, cultivation management, and production standards have all significantly improved, gaining deep international recognition and affirmation, achieving a total of 23.38 million butterfly orchid plants exported to the United States in year 104 (2015), worth approximately 50 million USD, accounting for 41% of our total butterfly orchid export value, an outstanding result.

Compared with mainland China, Taiwan's butterfly orchid plants with growing medium, according to current regulations, can be exported to the U.S. mainland as well as Hawaii and Guam. Additionally, Taiwan's production, cultivation, and breeding technology is advanced, pest and disease management is implemented, and plant quality is excellent with rich and diverse varieties. Currently, its competitiveness far exceeds that of mainland China's butterfly orchids.

Actively Facing Challenges and Enhancing the Competitiveness of Butterfly Orchids with Growing Medium Exported to the United States

The COA of the Executive Yuan stated that in response to the challenge of the United States approving mainland China's butterfly orchids with growing medium for export to the U.S. mainland, the council has consolidated consensus and energy among industry, government, and academia. Externally, it actively strengthens the overseas layout of butterfly orchid variety rights, builds the industry's capacity for overseas relay production and marketing channel development, and conducts foreign market information surveys and collection. Internally, it strengthens butterfly orchid new variety breeding capacity, enhances production, marketing, and storage-transport technology, researches and develops automated production equipment, trains talent, and addresses industry labor shortages. Working together with producers and industry groups, it continuously improves butterfly orchid quality, joins hands to build Taiwan's premium orchid brand image, and strives toward solidifying overseas market competitiveness.