A orchid production base in Nanjing county, Zhangzhou, East China's Fujian province. [Photo/fjsen.com]

The 13th edition of China Orchid Expo is slated to be held in Nanjing county, Zhangzhou in East China's Fujian province in early 2020.

The annual event, the largest of its kind nationwide, plays an important role in popularizing scientific knowledge of orchids, promoting orchid culture and the development of orchid industry.

A great species of orchids will be exhibited at the expo scheduled to be held in February next year, alongside with orchid-themed activities such as seminars, cultural exhibitions and tourism promotion conferences.

Dubbed the "Hometown of Orchids in China", Nanjing county is one of the four largest orchid production areas in the country.

Official data shows that the plantation of orchids in the county stands at 4,150 mu (276.6 hectares), with over 1,000 varieties.

Currently, Nanjing houses 86 orchid companies and 7 cooperatives, involving more than 2,800 households or over 21,000 people.

The annual outputs for orchid flowers and seedlings reach 90 million and 3 million respectively, generating more than two billion yuan ($298.5 million) in total, official data shows.

Besides, in a bid to expand sales channels, the county has also established more than 2,500 online shops, with online sales exceeding 400 million yuan annually.