Flower industry thrives in Lanzhou New Area, NW China's Gansu

In the intelligent greenhouses at the floriculture industrial base in Lanzhou New Area, Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, fresh roses are harvested by workers.

Photo shows fresh flowers at a flower trade center in Lanzhou New Area, Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province. (People's Daily Online/Xu Donger)

"The busiest time of day is in the morning, with an average of over 80,000 flowers packaged and shipped every morning," said Ma Zhenghua, a staff member in an intelligent greenhouse.

Ma added that these flowers are transported by land or air to cities and autonomous prefectures in Gansu, as well as markets in places including Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, and Hangzhou.

"We began planning the development of the flower industry in 2018, and have currently built six Venlo-type intelligent greenhouses covering 454,200 square meters in the base," said Li Zongjun, deputy manager of a company under Lanzhou New Area Modern Agriculture Investment Group Co., Ltd. Notably, the No. 3 greenhouse, spanning 180,000 square meters, is one of Asia's largest single-unit intelligent greenhouses for fresh-cut roses and the largest fresh-cut rose breeding hub in northwest China.

Photo shows flowers at an intelligent greenhouse in the floriculture industrial base in Lanzhou New Area, Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Jinxue)

To ensure high-quality roses with proper shape and extended flowering periods, the greenhouses boast world-class construction technologies, facilities, and water and fertilizer irrigation systems. The greenhouses automatically control water, fertilizer, air, and heat conditions, providing an optimal growth environment.

"At present, our base produces 100 million fresh-cut flowers annually. The output value of fresh-cut flowers is expected to reach 130 million yuan ($17.82 million) in 2024," said Zhang Zhaoxian, head of sales of the floriculture industrial base of Lanzhou New Area Modern Agriculture Investment Group Co., Ltd.

Zhang added that Lanzhou New Area's flowers are now sold in over 120 Chinese cities and exported to countries including South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam. In particular, Lanzhou New Area's flowers can be directly exported to Europe through China-Europe freight trains.

People buy fresh-cut flowers in the floriculture industrial base in Lanzhou New Area, Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Jinxue)

As flowers bloom in the area, residents rejoice.

"I never expected that I could earn a monthly salary of 6,500 yuan (about $893)," said Li Xiuying, a local farmer who has been working at the base for three years.

Before joining the flower industry, Li was an ordinary farmer. The flower base has helped over 1,000 local farmers find jobs near their homes.

People buy flowers at a flower trade center in Lanzhou New Area, Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province. (People's Daily Online/Xu Donger)