OUR REPORTER
AIZAWL, NOV 19
Mizoram Orchid Centre, the state’s first orchidarium, was inaugurated on Thursday at Maubuang village under Aibawk rural development block about 41 km from the state capital Aizawl, an official said on Friday.
State Rural Development minister Lalruatkima, who opened the center said it will serve an important purpose in preserving different species of orchids in the state and open new commercial and employment opportunities for orchids farmers which in turn will lead to economic development as prices of orchids are high in the markets.
The main objective of the centre is collection, preservation, multiplication by tissue culture (growing) and studying of the nature of various orchid species in the state, he said.
With the opening of the Centre, he said that avenues for eco-tourism and rural tourism could open new opportunities for the people in the area.
At least 350 species of orchids have been identified in Mizoram, out of which eight species have medicinal value and many of these orchids (some of them very rare) are now facing extreme danger of extinction due to heavy destruction of habitat or forest areas, according to officials.
The construction of Orchid Centre began in April 2018 under Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) scheme with the project cost of Rs 3.9 crore.
Though completed in May 2019, its inauguration was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic. Inputs from scientists from National Research Centre for Orchids, Sikkim and other orchid experts from the state and Mizoram University were also taken during the planning of the Centre.
The implementing agency of the centre is Rural Development Department and it will be manned by Zoawi Orchids on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. BIOCONE, a respected environmental NGO, was engaged for collection of orchid species from across the state for preservation at the Centre.
The Minister lauded the achievements made by Aibawk Cluster under SPMRM and noted that even at the national level, Aibawk Cluster has managed to stay in the top performing clusters for a number of years among more than 300 Clusters across the country.
(Source: The Mizoram Post Vol 19 Issue 170 Aizawl Saturday 20 November http://www.themizorampost.net/page-view?date=20-11-2021&page_no=1)