OSAKA, Jan. 13 — An Osaka-based wholesaler of cut flowers is to boost exports on the back of a new logistics “cold chain” that ensures quick and efficient transportation to preserve the freshness of high-quality Japanese flowers.
Naniwa Flower Auction Co. invested 550 million yen with government support to build the special facility, named Hanako, at 2,335 square meters of space, next to Osaka’s cut flower wholesale market.
Hanako is designed to control temperature throughout the logistics for the transport of cut flowers and the duration of delivery. It started operating on Jan. 12.
The company exported 1.96 million of stems of flowers in 2017. The exports valued at 240 million yen, were up 30% from a year earlier.
It now aims to more than double to 550 million yen in the next three years.
More than 90 percent of its flowers go to the U.S. market, followed by China, Taiwan and Canada, according to the company.
Sweetpea, lisianthus and southern star from Japan are popular, it said.