–USD 3 million in exports, soon to account for 80% of global market share
-Promotional event at Tokyo Flower Market from January 4^th to 10^th to target Japan

– Export volume of grafted cactus farms in Gyeonggi Province is expected to easily surpass USD 3 million. (G-News Plus)

Gyeonggi’s grafted cacti are dominating the world market.

According to provincial records, this year’s export volume of 25 grafted cactus farms based in the province, including the cities of Goyang and Anseong, amounted to USD 2.8 million as of late November. However, this figure is expected to easily top USD 3 million with the cacti dominating 80% of the global market.

This breaks the 2010 export record of USD 2.7 million and a 70% market share, while the global grafted cactus export market is estimated to reach approximately USD 3.8 million in 2011.

In 1976, when Japan was the world market leader, Gyeonggi exported USD 50,000 worth of grafted cacti to the Netherlands for the first time. With exports worth USD 500,000 in 1982, USD 1.5 million in 1990, and USD 2 million in 2000, Gyeonggi has now become the leading exporter in the world.

Based on this achievement, the province plans to open diverse export markets in Japan, Russia, the Middle East and elsewhere, in addition to its current major markets of the Netherlands, the US, and Australia. In particular, 50% of the provincial export amount is directed to the Dutch market.

As such, the province will undertake a large-scale promotional event for Gyeonggi Province grafted cacti from January 4^thto 10^th at the Tokyo Oda Auction Market, the largest flower wholesale market in Japan.

This promotional event will feature a special market in the main building of Oda Market. The event will also include a presentation of new products such as chocolate cacti for the Christmas season, and an export counseling session for local wholesalers and auctioneers. Event-related activities will be concentrated during the morning when the flower auction takes place with a view to expand sales to 4,000 local wholesale/retail stores.

Kim Geon-jung, CEO of Godeok Floriculture Trade Inc., the supervisory organization for this promotional event, said, “The Gyeonggi grafted cactus industry features the best technology in the world, which makes it highly plausible to expand overseas markets.” He added, “We’ll expand the farming area within the province and enter new markets.”

A representative of the province said, “We plan to actively conduct overseas marketing activities such as promotional events in 2012 in order to discover new markets and improve the value of Gyeonggi grafted cacti.”

The Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services Cactus Research Station, located in Goyang City, began with the development of four breeds back in 1998. Since then, it has researched the characteristics of superior types including chin cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii), yellow peanut cactus (Chamaecereus silvestrii), and Parodia scopa (Notocactus scopa), and bred new cultivars, leading to the development of 74 varieties. The institution provides these varieties to provincial farms without demanding royalties, and has helped farms with the development of 46 cultivation technologies in total including 24 grafted cactus cultivation technologies.

– G-News Plus | Son Rak-hun kuni1202@naver.com

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201112021531186438C052&s_code=C052