What experience should Yantai's flower industry learn from France?
In May, the 2009 Floralies International Flower Show was held in Nantes, a city in southern France. A YMG reporter was invited to cover it and took the opportunity to conduct a survey of the local flower industry. Such a massive flower exhibition relies on the region's well-developed flower industry. The reporter then traveled along the Loire River to visit the region's horticultural cultivation, scientific research, plant logistics and other flower-related industries, and its mature and comprehensive market environment was deeply impressive.
6 million euros to create the exhibition landscape
The Floralies International Flower Show is the largest ornamental plant exhibition in France. Since it was founded in 1956, it has been held once every five years, and this year marked the 10th edition. The venue is built along the banks of the Erdre River, known as the most beautiful river in France. Local specialty fruits and vegetables along with thousands of flower varieties adorn the green spaces on both banks, and landscapes and exhibition halls of various themes stretch into the distance along the river, forming a huge 35-hectare garden blending color, fragrance and beauty into one.
Walking through it, there are intoxicating scenery and floral fragrances, wonderful floral costume displays, dazzling light performances, and exciting narratives hidden within all kinds of wildly imaginative landscape designs. This huge garden cost about 6 million euros, equivalent to more than 50 million yuan, demonstrating the local confidence in and emphasis on the flower and horticulture market.
The exhibition attracted more than 200 exhibitors from around the world, and among the 7 themed exhibition halls there were more than 40 international booths from 32 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, displaying agricultural science, landscaping, flowers, fruits and vegetables, and more, allowing visitors to learn about the latest trends in flowers. Designer Mr. Jean-Marc introduced that creating such a display landscape requires a great deal of time, manpower and material resources, but the effort is worthwhile. They have participated in the exhibition for many consecutive years, which has not only expanded their company's visibility but also driven product shipments in various places.
This has been a great help to the visibility of our region. Nantes has been famous for this exhibition for 50 years, becoming France's third-largest exhibition after the Paris Agricultural Show and the Paris Motor Show. Regional councilor Ms. Monique Rabin told reporters, "We have therefore gained many advantages in the field of flower horticulture. We have opened more than 800 horticultural flower farms, and higher education institutions and research organizations are also actively engaged in education and research on nursery flower and plant cultivation, creating thousands of jobs for the region."
Many visitors came to the exhibition in RVs and generally stayed for a week's vacation, greatly stimulating the local tourism industry. According to statistics, during the 11-day exhibition, the number of people who came to visit and shop reached 500,000. For Nantes, a city with an urban population of only more than 3 million, this figure not only brings enormous economic benefits but also creates a strong market brand.
A mature operating model is the secret to success
The Loire region is one of France's 26 regions, located in western France at around 42°C north latitude, with a pleasant climate, a long history in horticulture, and a developed fruit, vegetable and flower cultivation industry. Today, this region is known as the "Garden of France," ranking second in France in potted flower production and third in France in bedding plant production, reaching 100 million plants per year.
At the Turc company in Angers, which specializes in flower seed cultivation, the head of the research laboratory, Wang Wencai, is of Chinese origin. During the period when Yantai and Angers signed their sister-city agreement, he had visited Yantai as a representative of the French side. He said that the current pace of development of China's flower industry is enviable. Not only are varieties abundant, but the cultivation area is also growing larger and larger, and the flower consumer market is gradually maturing. For example, the Laizhou rose of the Yantai area has long enjoyed a good reputation in the industry.
Wang Wencai believes that the advantage of France's flower industry lies in its wide variety of horticultural products, its cutting-edge technology and its smooth commercial channels.
The first is research and development. In the modern tissue culture laboratory in Angers, flower varieties from around the world are re-bred according to local conditions, and improved dahlias, tulips and others have become the region's flagship products. The reporter also saw camellias familiar to Chinese people here, with pure colors and much thicker stems than those in China, called "Oriental China." Company president Mr. Turc said, "French flower companies generally spend 10% of annual turnover on research and development, and much of it is customized variety development for clients, thereby reducing R&D risks."
In the production stage, the environmental protection concept in flower cultivation is well worth learning from. At the Vallée de la Dée nursery in Nantes, more than 1,200 varieties are cultivated within 60 hectares. All electricity comes from wind power, and large ponds have been designed for natural water storage, filtration and irrigation of the nursery. Workers release seven-spotted ladybugs in the garden to catch pests, and some ground is covered with thick layers of peanut husks, tree bark, straw and other debris to reduce pollution caused by herbicides. Owner Mr. Auhay introduced, "Protecting the environment and green development are very important for the company's long-term development. This allows products to be more competitive in the international market, and the government also provides some financial and technical support for environmental protection expenditures."