GOVERNOR’S SECRETARIAT
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
ITANAGAR

IPR (PR) 3/2009                                                                 Dated Naharlagun, July 6, 2009

PRESS RELEASE NO- 601

Raj Bhavan sponsores study tour to promote orchid cultivation

Itanagar, July 5: In his effort to facilitate and encourage Arunachalee to take up orchid farming and avail benefit from it, Governor Gen JJ Singh sponsored a study tour to a Research Scholar, Miss Krishna Chowlu of Rajiv Gandhi University to Sikkim recently to study the process and method by which local populace of Sikkim is benefiting from it. Gen Singh, who have been emphasizing on financial empowerment of the people, once again reiterated the need for tour cum trainings for interested farmers on orchid farming. With its conducive environment and topography, Arunachal Pradesh is orchid’s paradise. ‘We just need to impart few tips to indigenous people so that they can cultivate and market it’, he added. With huge market for orchids, which include our own government offices, hotels and other establishments, it will be enormous revenue earning venture, Gen Singh pointed, PRO to Governor report.

Miss Chowlu, who called on the Governor on July 3 at the Raj Bhavan here on her return from the tour informed that to promote orchid farming, the Sikkim government sponsores one to three month trainings to interested farmers to Bangalore and Delhi. It also provides seedlings and poly houses to the trained farmers. For the clusters of farmers, the State Government provide labs for tissue culture, which to my surprised is run and manned by women folks, said Chowlu, who visited and interacted with orchid farmers at Pakyong, Gangtok and also at Kalingpong. Some of the farmers have annual earning of Rs. 3.5 lakh (Rupees Three Lakh and Fifty Thousand), she added.

During the meeting, Chowlu, who is from Namsai and doing her PhD on Orchid, further informed that Sikkim Government has provided four crore rupees to its horticulture department, which deals with orchid programme for raising seedling on joint venture. She further added the National Research Centre for Orchids (NRCO), Pakyong, Sikkim, a unit of ICAR established in 1996 plays a vital role in Orchid farming in the State. It carries out tissue culture of marketable varieties. With two refrigerated vans made available to the farmers by the State government, orchids are transported directly from farms to Bagdogra airport, from where it is sent to Kolkata, Delhi and even to aboard such as Dubai, she informed.

Research Scholar of Rajiv Gandhi University pointed, in order to promote orchid farming in Arunachal Pradesh in the line of approach taken by the Government of Sikkim, we need to have proper selection of commercially important plant varieties as per climatic conditions of different zones of Arunachal Pradesh and also proper selection of interested parties who can supply appropriate quality and variety of plants with market tie ups or buy back arrangements. We need to set up modular nurseries cum cultivation plots with all required facilities available, such as poly-house, irrigation provisions etc. Purchase of plants in adequate quantity so that bulk quantity of flowers can be produced to achieve market feasibility is also one of the important factors.

Chowlu further pointed, proper selection of interested and dedicated group of farmers in clusters at various zones as beneficiary for cultivation of orchids and initial free distribution plants to the beneficiary along with training will play important role.

Stressing on supply of poly-house to the farmers free of cost and proper supervision, Chowlu adds, keeping regular touch with the farmers for supervision and keeping them accountable for the plants and productions is very important adds the RajBhawan report.

 

Sd/- Purabi Taikam, PRO