Lai envisions orchid industry upgrades with AI, government support

Taipei, March 7 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Friday that the central and local governments will continue working together to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and promote industry upgrades in Taiwan's orchid plantations.

AI technology will 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 country's flower gardening industry has evolved over the past two decades from traditional cultivation to technological advancement, internationalization, and branding.

Orchids are the flagship crop for Taiwan's agricultural exports, with a total product value of NT$6.4 billion (US$194.72 million) in 2024, NT$6.1 billion of which were exported to more than 60 countries including the United States, Japan and Australia, he said.

Lai promoted 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.

The president further said that 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.

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, Lai said.

The 2024 Taiwan International Orchid Show attracted over 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 will also incorporate the 2025 Asia Pacific Orchid Conference (APOC), Lai said.

Marking the triennial APOC's return to Taiwan after 20 years, the joint orchid show is themed "Next 20," according to the organizers.

The show will take place in the Taiwan Orchid Technology Park in Tainan from March 8-23, while the APOC will be held from March 8-10.