President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that the central and local governments would continue working together to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and promote industry upgrades to orchid plantations.
AI technology would be leveraged to develop smart farming, enabling precise cultivation of flower breeds, efficient energy use and the promotion of circular production, Lai said at the opening ceremony of the Taiwan International Orchid Show.
Touting Taiwan as the kingdom of orchids, Lai said the nation’s flower gardening industry has evolved over the past two decades from traditional cultivation to technological advancement, internationalization and branding.
Photo: CNA
Orchids are a flagship crop for Taiwan’s agricultural exports, with a total product value of NT$6.4 billion (US$194.9 million) last year, NT$6.1 billion of which were exported to more than 60 nations, including the US, Japan and Australia, he said.
Lai touted the Ministry of Agriculture’s Taiwan Orchid Technology Park in Tainan as a globally renowned orchid industry cluster, and a leader in breeding, supply, and biotechnological research and development.
Ever since he was the mayor of Tainan, he had always hoped Taiwan’s orchids, like the Netherlands’ tulips, could be marketed worldwide and create significant economic value, Lai said.
Through orchids, he wishes to show the world Taiwan’s soft power, and communicate the resilience, friendship and confidence of orchids in every corner of the world, he said.
Last year the Taiwan International Orchid Show attracted more than 300,000 visitors, including orchid enthusiasts and experts.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) has set a goal of welcoming more than 350,000 visitors to this year’s event, which would also incorporate the Asia Pacific Orchid Conference, Lai said.
Marking the triennial conference’s return to Taiwan after 20 years, the joint orchid show is themed “Next 20,” according to the organizers.
The show is to take place at the Taiwan Orchid Technology Park in Tainan from today until March 23, while the conference is to be held from today until Monday.
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