The 10th anniversary Taiwan International Orchid Show (TIOS) was held from 8-17 March at the Taiwan Orchid Plantation in Tainan. Its theme was Amazing 10, and certainly the main display house was true to the theme with large, gravity-defying Phalaenopsis hemispheres hung from the ceiling, lit by rotating coloured spotlights which made them botha wonder of engineering and design. They made a perfect backdrop for the current craze of taking 'selfies', and up close we marvelled at the amount of work involved in making all the flower spikes face in the same direction. The exhibit created a dramatic entrance to the show where last year's visitor figures were more than 260,000, and this year's topped 300,000. However, the mainpurpose of the show happens behind the scenes and involves orchid traders from around the world who meet Taiwanese wholesalers to conduct business. The local press reported that US$11 million-worth of deals had already been signed by the second day, representing 6% of the total value of Taiwan's annual floral exports. Overall, orchids contribute 84% of the value of the Taiwan's annual floral exports, with Japan and the USA being the largest markets. Some way behind is the Netherlands, which is the thirdlargest export destination for Taiwanese orchids.
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