Floriculture epicentre
Kunming, and moreover the Yunnan province, is China’s epicentre for the production and trade of plants and flowers. The region is home to more than 200,000 producers, the industry employs 800,000 people and the production area totals more than 100,000 hectares.
Almost 80% of the flowers in China’s medium-sized cities come from Yunnan. Especially the Chinese government has always been an important buyer of the flowers. After few slower years in which the Chinese floriculture industry felt the effect of government reforms, the flower market is finally picking up again.
Solid opportunities
Setting the standard
Chen explained that many of these developments currently take place throughout the whole Yunnan province. “In the past many production was concentrated around Kunming, where Dutch producers of flowers and starting material set the standard by introducing present-day horticulture technology. A good example of this is our client Kunming Hasfarms; a 25 hectare large scale Dutch-owned greenhouse operation that produces carnation, hydrangea and alstoemeria. However, we see also more development at a local level and in different regions. We are for example working on the Phase IV expansion for Chinese greenhouse grower Jianye in Henan. The grower is located south of Beijing and grows a large variety of anthuriums and flower varieties. This project is a great example of how partnerships between Chinese and Dutch parties can lead to a successful Chinese-owned horticulture venture.”
Controlled environment