For Shi Jianhua, chairman of Shanghai Flower and Horticulture (Group) Co Ltd (SFG) which produces 150 million seedlings and 2.2 million potted flowers annually, he has a grand vision for his company — blooming across China and extending fragrance the world over.

Industrial leader SFG, dubbed a "Top Flower" and based in the Lin-gang Special Area of ​​China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Area, has seven production bases in Shanghai, Yunnan, Shaanxi, and other regions, adhering to its philosophy that "having one's own varieties is the key to a firm's competitiveness".

Through collaboration with top-tier international breeding companies and acquiring the world's second-largest bromeliad seedling supplier, SFG now holds 90 percent of the global bromeliad seed source market and produces 70 million seedlings each year, Shi said.

Since 2017, the group has successively developed 24 new flower varieties and obtained more than 20 patents, with some varieties becoming market hits, he said. In its 330,000-square-meter intelligent greenhouse, SFG is using AI (artificial intelligence) camera grading system to raise the authenticity rate of anthurium, a rare flowering and foliage plant, to 95 percent, reducing production costs by 20 percent and netting an annual revenue exceeding 1.2 billion yuan ($166 million).

Source: www.floraldaily.com