KIMIN, 22 Dec: Chief Minister Pema Khandu inaugurated a state-of-the-art ex setu orchid conservatory at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Bioresources & Sustainable Development here in Papum Pare district on Thursday.
The CoE has been established under the aegis of the Arunachal Pradesh State Council for Science & Technology, with financial support from the union biotechnology department. It is the first-of-its-kind CoE in the Northeast.
Khandu congratulated the scientists engaged at the centre and commended them for their efforts to turn the almost barren complex into a vibrant and green centre.
“I am happy that this centre, now with the new orchidarium, is working towards conservation and propagation of highly valued orchid species and developing orchid-based entrepreneurship,” he said.
He lauded the centre for constantly working for conservation and multiplication of priority orchid species along with its satellite units in villages with a view to promote orchid-based entrepreneurship in the rural areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
The centre is doing orchid germplasm conservation, vegetative propagation of orchids, and micro propagation of orchids to enhance its value-addition.
“With such world-class facility at our disposal, our focus should be now on the potential of a revenue-generating model of orchids for the national and international audience. We should emphasise more on scientific-based research activities to take our state in the path of self-sustainability,” Khandu suggested.
Encouraging the scientists to “evolve a business model for its resources, so that individual farmers benefit from it,” he assured that the state government would soon take over the CoE for its sustenance “as it was set up with the support of the central government on project model for three years, which is likely to come to an end shortly.”
The 600 sq mtr conservatory consists of about 600 varieties of economically important orchids. The primary aspect of an orchidarium is to conserve as well as propagate economically important varieties of orchids and thus provide economical avenues to the local populace of the state for developing orchid-based entrepreneurial ventures.
The centre has also established orchid production units, each measuring 80 sq mtrs, in Kimin, Ziro, Deed, Pasighat and Namsai, each with 350 commercial orchids and planting materials and equipment.
It has also collaborated with the ICAR-NRCO, Pakyong, Sikkim for technical guidance, consultancy and support for undertaking orchid-based research. Two technical trainings have already been conducted for farmers and technical staffers in Pakyong, Sikkim, on various aspects of orchid cultivation.
The centre has also established aroma distillation and processing units in the campus to promote cultivation of aroma crops and banana fibre extraction, and processing units in selected districts of the state, in collaboration with leading institutions from south India.
It is also working on bio-prospecting and translational product development research on medicinal, aromatic, and foam forming plant resources in Arunachal.
Then union minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had laid the foundation stone of the centre on 22 December, 2016. Khandu inaugurated the makeshift building of the centre on 22 December, 2018. The permanent and multistoried building of the centre was eventually inaugurated by union MoS for Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on 9 November, 2021.
Khandu was accompanied by Science & Technology Minister Honchum Ngandam, Home Minister Bamang Felix, Rajya Sabha member Nabam Rebia, local MLA Tana Hali Tara, State Council for Science & Technology Chairman Bamang Mangha, Chief Secretary Dharmendra, and others. (CM’s PR Cell)
