“The United States is an important trading partner. We must not give up this market because of the tariffs and let others fill the void.” On April 9th, just before Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariffs, Taiwan’s Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) made this statement to nearly 100 orchid cultivators at a seminar. The sense of anxiety was palpable. One planter who’d been in the business for almost four decades revealed that after Trump’s announcement, some American customers had already canceled their orders, while others were eyeing imports from Latin America.

Taiwan sells its beloved moth orchids to over 80 countries, with the U.S., being the biggest market, making up 40% of exports. In 2023, Taiwan sold orchids worth US$61 million to America.

When Americans see moth orchids, six or seven out of ten are from Taiwan. This is the culmination of 20 years of hard work.

Taiwan was the first country allowed to ship potted orchids to America. This is safer and less expensive than shipping them unpotted, and it created a unique value chain between Taiwan and the U.S.

Typically, Taiwanese planters cultivate the orchids until the sprouts are near maturity. Once shipped to the U.S., local planters take over and nurture them for another four months until they blossom, at which point they are sold to flower shops. This has made the U.S. an even bigger market for Taiwan than Japan.

However, such a closely knit supply chain also made Taiwan over-dependent on the American market.

More than 400 Taiwanese planters are licensed to sell to the U.S. “Which means any change in the American market will have an effect on Taiwanese moth orchid planters,” says Yong-siang Lai (賴永翔), manager at Taida Horticultural Co. His father, Pen-Chih Lai (賴本智), is a famous horticulturist credited for making it possible for Taiwan to sell potted orchids to the U.S.

Tseng Chun-pi (曾俊弼), secretary-general of Taiwan Orchid Growers Association, warns that once the tariffs come into effect, as much as 10% of U.S. orders might disappear. This is akin to losing the entire Australian market—roughly three million plants. Because moth orchids, not unlike semiconductors, rely on a carefully coordinated supply chain, a bottleneck to mature sprout exports will adversely affect young sprouts as well as seedling flasks further up the supply chain.

Of greater concern is the consumer market. Tseng points out that moth orchids are pricey luxury items. If the American economy suffers due to the tariffs, customers might be inclined to buy cheaper flowers or stop buying altogether, thereby eliminating the orchids market entirely.