BHOPAL: An Orchidarium in 6th Mile Upper Shillong area has turned into the latest tourist attraction of Meghalaya’s capital, Shillong. Thanks to the showcasing of Orchid flower plants in variegated hues, grown by 20 women entrepreneurs of the north-eastern state.
Developed since 2019 in a 600-meter area Polly house, the Orchidarium showcases the colourful results of sustained process of central government’s Department of Biotechnology’s (DBT) direct funding and assistance, helping at least 20 women cultivators of Orchid plants turn into entrepreneurs in various districts of Meghalaya, including Shillong and East Khasi Hills district.
Housing the diverse genres of Orchid flower plants, the Orchidarium is supplying seed plants, cut flowers and potted plants of the multi-floral local and hybrid Orchid varieties to across the country. “The Orchidarium was started in 2019, a few months before the pandemic struck.
But with the decline in COVID cases since 2021, the 20 women entrepreneurs or cultivators of the local and hybrid varieties have attained sales of worth over Rs 7 lakh,” said Dr JK Shukla, Scientist-E at the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD-Imphal) node in Shillong. The IBSD is a national institute of the central government’s DBT.
The Orchidarium is now being further diversified through succulent and ornamental plants, besides cultivation of medicinal Orchid plants. Enthused by the success of the DBT’s institute, the DBT’s not-for-profit public enterprise Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has embarked on a similar, but a bigger project of developing 100 more women entrepreneurs through Orchid plants cultivation in Meghalaya’s district, Rhi-Bhoi.