SHILLONG: Housing round 20 species of orchids, a 6000 square feet state-of-the-art Orchid House and claimed to be one of its kinds in the country having climate controlled system, aims to draw locals and tourists.
The orchid house is open to the public in the campus of Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) at the hills of Upper Shillong. The entrance which is still under construction will be ready by the end of the month, according to the Director of IBSD, Dinabandhu Sahoo.
He said the IBSD was promoting orchid based bio-entrepreneurship to strengthen the bio-economy of the region as a major flagship programme.
North-east India houses about 900 species of orchids while Meghalaya is home to 439 species.
According to him, in the orchidarium, tourists, scholars and flower lovers can view several orchid species in one place like in Thailand, Singapore, Japan, England and many other countries.
With orchid cultivation seen as an entrepreneurial venture, Sahoo said the IBSD had trained 1000 people from the Northeast at its centre at Manipur in the field of orchid farming.
He also informed that the Institute had opened up an Orchid Production Unit at Tura with the help of the state government and they plan to open 20 such production unit in the entire state.
Sahoo said North Eastern part of India will be ideal for large scale orchid’s production because of its climate and other factors.
As for the do’s and don’ts while visiting the orchidarium, he informed that touching and plucking of the orchids are not allowed as the orchids are sensitive leading to their contamination.