Yunnan’s cut roses ‘petalling’ forward into overseas markets

In association with Yunnan Aibida Horticulture Technology Co., Ltd, the Chinese government has invested three billion RMB in a state-of-the-art rose farm in Jinning, in greater Kunming, writes Rong Luo for FCI.

Jinning is a district that sits 50 km south of Kunming, the capital and largest city in Yunnan province. The latter boasts a benign climate and abundant natural resources and has evolved into a major cut flower-producing area spanning approximately 4,000ha. Annual production of cut flowers currently stands at 5.5 billion stems per year.

More recently, a large-scale cut flower nursery – Chinese typically call it a ‘cut flower industrial park’ – is emerging in Jinning thanks to a collaboration between state-owned Jinning Capital Operation Co., Ltd and Yunnan Aibida Horticulture Technology Co., Ltd – the first company entrusted with investment projects by the Jinning government and is dedicated to promoting the development of horticulture.

Rose hub

FCI sat down with project manager Li Qin to discuss the rose hub’s technical specs, purpose, customers, and the current state of Yunnan’s cut rose industry.

The Chinese government invested three billion RMB in what is officially called the Jinning Industrial Park. Once completed, it will comprise three business divisions: an R&D centre, a cut flower production nursery, and a sales hub serving online customers, city-based wholesalers, florists, and retailers.

The R&D department, in association with the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (YANAS), China Agricultural University (CAU), and Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU focuses on testing and introducing new cut flower varieties using traditional breeding techniques and cutting-edge research tools and digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

The production nursery occupies 140ha, of which 100ha is dedicated to growing cut roses. Another 40ha is used for growing a diverse range of cut flowers, such as lilies and Chrysanthemums. In potted plant and nursery stock production, they do Phalaenopsis and Rhododendron lapponicum.

Currently, a section of the greenhouse serves as a trial ground for hundreds of cut roses. At the same time, around 30 varieties are commercially grown, 60 per cent of which include varieties seen on the global rose market.

The varieties are mainly from the overseas breeders. Red, champagne, white, and orange are the most popular colours. So far, fragrant roses have a tiny market share as growing them comes with challenges regarding lower yields and shorter vase life.

Li Quin explains that expanding the sales platform is a work in progress. “Ideally, it should allow the company’s sellers to work more efficiently, but it must also be designed to help local growers sell their flowers. The company strives to shorten intermediation chains by delivering flowers directly to buyers across China. There is no need to sell through the auction in Dounan.

“The company seeks to set up a distribution network in different cities to serve what they call their ‘city partners’. Wholesalers, flower shops, and retailers can join, and the aim is to expand sales channels. Financial services can also be provided.”

Export potential

To some extent, Yunnan’s cut-rose supply volumes are higher than the demand, particularly in summer.

Lin Quin elaborates, “In winter, however, there’s a better market equilibrium when fewer roses appear on the market. Over 80 per cent of Yunnan growers are still using traditional ways to grow roses with lower yields in winter due to lower temperatures. The average annual price hovers around 1 RMB/stem, much lower than before.”

A portion of Yunnan-grown cut flowers are exported to Southeast Asia to countries such as Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Laos. Lin Quin anticipates that exports to Japan will increase. He says, “In the past, Colombia exported many roses to Japan, but the high US dollar exchange rate has recently made this a less profitable business. So, we can benefit from this situation. Kazakhstan is also a new and potential market for us.”

CGI of the complex.

Small-scale farms to decrease in the future

Looking further into the future, Yunnan’s cut rose industry will transition into more modern and professional rose farms with soil-less cultivation—a development to the detriment of the small holding family-owned farms. One reason is that modern farms have better access to government support and the ability to integrate resources.

The winds of change continue to play their part. With its Five-Year Plan 2021-2025 for National Economic and Social Development, China ushered in a new type of politics focused on food availability and food production.

As such, influencing Chinese policy about the far-reaching benefits of flowers and plants – from championing environmental preservation to boosting economic prosperity and enhancing individual well-being – cannot always be an easy task. There are now stricter land policies, and smaller flower farmers have fewer chances to get land. And a new farm will face significant financial and operational pressure.

A map of Jinning Rose Farm detailing the area dedicated to production (blue) and sales (orange).

Assessing the internal quality of roses

To help Yunnan’s rose industry progress, there’s also a need to improve quality standards. Until now, the only quality standards used are those from Kunming Flower Auction, which only focuses on outer quality. The internal quality checking is overlooked.

Botrytis is a common disease in roses, which also appears during the shipment of flowers in boxes. Li Quin concludes, “In the absence of an internal quality check, there’s a risk that the end consumers will receive poor quality roses after transportation. This situation tarnishes the rose’s image and influences buying behaviour. We work on a system that assesses the internal quality of flowers, which will hopefully help to take the whole industry to the next level.”

This article was first published in the October 2024 issue of FloraCulture International.