"Thailand has won first prize and the prize for special distinction for its garden display at the 8th Cross Straits Flower Expo 2006 held in the southeastern Fujian province of China.
The Thai garden entry... was one of 22 international entries in the competition. ... Thai entry was decorated with a mini waterfall and 2,500 orchid blossoms and 400 orchid plants. The orchids beautifying the 25-square metre garden include vanda species [or hybrid !] such as Vanda Tokyo Blue and Vanda Coerulea [c...]. ... the award due both to the design and the natural beauty of the orchids. Chaiwat Witthayathorn, representative of the Royal Horticultural Society of Thailand, said winning the first prize in China will help promote Thai orchids and expand Thai orchid exports to China. Orchids are popular among the Chinese and are commonly used to decorate public places such as hotels, exclusive restaurants and shopping malls. The Eighth Cross-Straits Flower Expo jointly organised by the flower industries on the mainland and in Taiwan from November 8-18, has been an annual event in Zhangzhou since 1999. It has evolved from a regional fair to a national event, serving as an important platform for the promotion of the Fujian flower industry. Thailand's orchid exports in 2006 from January to October is valued at 48 billion baht in volume and 2.5 billion baht in value, an increase of one per cent compared to last year. According to the Kasikorn Research Centre, there are 20,000 rai or 8,000 acres of orchid orchards in the country. Most orchards are located in Bangkok and its adjacent provinces. Thailand is ranked the world's number one [or number two ?] orchid exporter, followed by Singapore and Malaysia. The key orchid importers are Japan and New Zealand. Thailand is ranked the world's second orchid plant exporter after Taiwan." article UTRL : http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=114536 ************ Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
