Asia's leading flower market cashes in on "she economy"

Workers pack flowers at the Kunming Dounan Flower Market in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

KUNMING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- In the run-up to International Women's Day, a frenzy of flower-buying has swept the bustling Dounan Flower Market in the city of Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, thanks to the booming "she economy."

The expanding consumer power of women, based on China's historic progress on promoting gender equality and women's all-around development, has already garnered the attention of various sectors in a big way, including the flower industry.

As Asia's largest fresh-cut flower trading market with a yearly trade volume of 11 billion, the Dounan Flower Market is considered a reliable barometer of the performance of China's flower markets.

To embrace the buying bonanza in women-targeted categories, the market entered a preparation period on Feb. 22, with a stable and continuous increase in stock.

During the period, the market's highest average price for major flower categories on a single day was 4.54 yuan (about 66 U.S. cents) per unit, up 26 percent year on year. Meanwhile, the registered number of buyers and sellers in the market increased by 16 percent and 5 percent year on year, respectively.

According to Li Zhijun, with the Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center, the flower trading index exceeded 1,000 points for two consecutive days last week, setting a recent trading record.

"The age range and coverage of the consumer group for the festive flower purchases are wide, with an increasing variety of popular flower types. Furthermore, with the abundance of seasonal spring flowers, consumers have a greater range of options to choose from," Li told Xinhua.

Between Jan. 1 and Monday, the trading center has logged a trade volume of nearly 200 million, with a year-on-year increase approaching 10 percent.

The flower consumption market has gradually recovered this year, and the diversification of sales channels and convenient logistics systems have contributed to a significant increase in sales volume, Li added.