By Esme Yeh / Staff reporter

Australia has approved moth orchid imports from Taiwan after the nation met quarantine requirements, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said on Friday.

Inspections in the six months from July to December last year showed that moth orchid greenhouses met Australia’s quarantine requirements, the agency said.

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has officially agreed to lift the suspension of the export deal, which had been in place since 2020, it said.

Photo: Taipei Times

Moth orchids are one of Taiwan’s most important export flowers, with more than 50 million plants shipped overseas annually and export revenue of more than US$140 million, the agency said.

Twenty-six greenhouses run by 18 operators in Taiwan are registered with the Australian body as qualified moth orchid exporters, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said, adding that combined they annually export more than 2 million plants, or more than US$7 million worth.

The Australian body suspended imports from Taiwan, and asked the government to enhance quarantine management after pests were found and diseases were detected in some batches of moth orchids from the nation, the agency said, adding that it launched a program to meet Australian quarantine requirements and to improve Taiwan’s competitiveness in moth orchid exports.

Researchers from the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute and National Chung Hsing University, as well as pest inspectors from the Taiwan Orchid Growers’ Association, were commissioned to visit greenhouses nationwide along with personnel from local branches of the agency to investigate potential quarantine challenges and develop new techniques to prevent or control pests and diseases, it said.

Through the collaborative effort, the quality of moth orchid exports was stabilized, it said, adding that inspections in June also showed no issues.

The resumption of exports to Australia is expected to help diversify market risks, especially as the US — Taiwan’s biggest overseas moth orchid market — has raised the tariff rate on Taiwanese orchid imports from zero to 20 percent.

Association secretary-general Tseng Chun-pi (曾俊弼) on Thursday said that orders for orchid exports to the US dropped by 15 percent from April to June shortly after a 10 percent US tariff was implemented on April 10, adding that as orchids cannot be stored for long, production would fall.

Additional reporting by CNA