Aizawl : , Friday, November 19th, 2009: Officials announced that the Zoramthanga government had established the Mizoram Orchid Centre at a cost of Rs.3.9 crore to preserve, propagate and study endangered and endemic orchids.The Rural Development Department officials stated that the center was built under the Shyama Prasad Moukherjee Mission (SPMRM).
It has an equipped laboratory to perform tissue culture and green house research, as well as other related services.
Lalruatkima (Mizoram Rural Development Minister) inaugurated the center in Maubuang, 41km from Aizawl.
He stated that the centre would aid in the preservation and protection orchid species.Some of these are almost extinct, and only found in Mizoram.
He said that the new centre could open up opportunities in eco-tourism as well as rural tourism, which would also create more employment for local people.
Mizoram Assembly Member Professor F.Lalnunmawia is a forestry expert and said orchid cultivation can help to boost the region’s economy.He hoped the centre would work with locals in this area.
According to a Mizoram government statement, the center would conduct research on orchids as well as look at revenue-generating opportunities for the nearby villages.As the project’s implementing agent, the Rural Development Department would transfer the center to Zoawi Orchids for its maintenance and operation over a 3-year period.
The planning process of the new centre was influenced by inputs received from Sikkin-based scientists, Mizoram University and other experts in orchids.According to the statement, the Biodiversity & Nature Conservation Network (BIOCONE), an environmental NGO that is well-respected, had been involved in the collection and preservation of orchid species across the state.
Mizoram is home to more than 350 orchid species, with many new varieties being discovered.There are many endangered species in Mizoram due to the destruction of orchid habitats.
The state’s top NGO, Young Mizo Association, made the announcement, saying that the illegal collection of orchids has led to a loss in orchid diversity.
sc/sks #Mizoram #opens #Orchid #Centre #preserve #orchids
