Sunflower demand rises as Pingtung’s Yanpu sees 10–20% increase in harvest

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department

 

Recently, sunflowers have become a symbolic flower of student movements, and the main winter sunflower production area in Taiwan is Pingtung, especially around Yanpu Township, which has the largest planting area of about 20-plus hectares. Flower farmer Lin Jin-lian said that recently, demand has increased by 1–2 percent, with peak daily harvests exceeding 1,200 stems.

Sunflowers are plants of the Asteraceae family, also known as sunflowers or helianthus, named for their flower heads that turn to follow the sun. Pingtung’s mild climate is ideal for cultivation, especially in winter when other regions either face low temperatures or rainy seasons that prevent growth—making Pingtung’s sunflowers stand out uniquely.

 

Lin Jin-lian originally grew foliage plants long-term but switched to short-term flower cultivation of sunflowers and cockscombs two years ago. She said that sunflowers are planted around the Mid-Autumn Festival each year, bloom in about 45–50 days, and she plants them in batches according to the flowering period—roughly one batch every 5–7 days—for sequential harvesting, extending the season through graduation time in June and July.

 

She currently cultivates about 1.2 hectares, and during high-yield periods, can harvest over 1,000 stems per day. Harvested sunflowers are bound around the stems with lead wire to keep the flower stalks straight, enhancing their commercial value. Each bundle contains 10 stems, and a box can hold 12 bundles, which are sent to flower markets across Taiwan for auction. The current auction price is around NT$50 per bundle.

 

She pointed out that traditional black-center yellow sunflowers and new green-center yellow varieties each have their own market depending on consumer preference.

Sunflowers can bloom and be harvested all year round, but Pingtung’s main flowering season is in winter and spring. The recent student movement has also boosted demand for sunflowers.

 

 

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