The entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau of the city of Nanyang, Henan province, reports on March 1 that it saw exports of Chinese roses surge in the Jan-Feb period of this year, with a total of 330,000 of the plants, valued at $133,000, for a 22-percent increase in the number and a 43-percent increase in value over the same period last year.

Most of the plants came from the town of Shiqiao, which has more than 666 hectares planted in roses and more than 30 companies in the business, with an annual output of 90 million. The town's plants are exported worldwide and are popular in South Korea, Britain, Canada, and elsewhere.