Borrowing from the world's largest flower auction market, Taichung pushes hard for wholesale market automation

Flower Auction Aalsmeer is the largest flower auction market in the Netherlands and also the world's largest flower trading market, with 80% of the world's floral product transactions originating here; advanced high technology and an efficient auction method are the reasons Dutch flower trading is so flourishing. Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen led a delegation on the 9th to visit, hoping to draw on the Netherlands' flower auction and trading mechanisms so that the operating methods of Taichung City's wholesale markets can move toward full computerization and mechanization, reducing the use of manpower and further making all auction trading systems faster, fairer and more price-transparent.

Mayor Lu Shiow-yen and the city government delegation visited Flower Auction Aalsmeer on the 9th. In the world flower industry, more than 15% of flower import or re-export trade takes place in "Aalsmeer"; the commercial building of "Flower Auction Aalsmeer" is also the largest building in the world, with 14 auction clocks, and its turnover accounts for about half of the whole company. The top three cut flower species by auction value are roses, tulips and chrysanthemums; the top three potted flower species are Phalaenopsis orchids, kalanchoe and roses, among which Phalaenopsis orchids stand out alone, with annual auction value of nearly 500 million euros.

Mayor Lu Shiow-yen also experienced on site the unique and interesting flower auction process of "Aalsmeer", observing that the pointer of the auction clock continuously rotates from a higher price toward a lower price until a buyer presses a button; the price at which the pointer stops is the selling price, and then the winning buyer tells the required quantity through a microphone.

In this regard, Mayor Lu Shiow-yen agreed, pointing out that if all wholesale operations in Taichung City were automated and computerized, there would be several benefits: first, it would be fairer; second, prices would be more transparent; third, whether it is the matching or transactions between consignors or buyers, it would be faster and save more time.