SATV 17 May, Kathmandu: Yunnan Province, a major supplier of flowers in southwest China, reported robust export of fresh-cut flowers in the first four months of this year, the Kunming Customs data showed Friday.

The export value of Yunnan's fresh-cut flowers hit 360 million yuan (about 50.04 million U.S. dollars) from January to April, up 51.4 percent year on year.

The production of fresh-cut flowers in Yunnan now accounts for more than 70 percent of the market share nationwide. Dounan Flower Market in the provincial capital city of Kunming, the world's second-largest fresh-cut flower trading hub and Asia's largest, is witnessing a sustained boom in the export to over 50 countries and regions, including Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Russia, Australia, and, increasingly, central Asian countries.

Russian businesswoman Saveleva Ekaterina recently signed an order of 240,000 carnations with Zhou Tianyi, who is in charge of a flower base in Kunming. She also learned about over 100 flower varieties for future cooperation.

"The Russian market welcomes Yunnan flowers for their premium quality and diversity," said Ekaterina.

According to Zhou, his flower base also ships 60,000 fresh-cut flowers weekly to Kazakhstan, which, together with Russia, has shown sustained growth in demand for Chinese fresh-cut flowers since last year.

To facilitate Yunnan's flower export, Kunming Customs has continuously optimized its services, improved clearance efficiency at ports, and reduced customs costs for businesses.