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Floriculture can be big industry in Sikkim: Chief Minister
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Madhusree Chatterjee | 02 Jan, 2013
Sikkim, with a 12.62 percent growth rate, is trying to make floriculture
a primary economic activity of this picturesque northeastern border
state and link it to tourism with floral showcases and green
initiatives, Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling says.
"Floriculture
can become a big industry in Sikkim. India is being used as a dumping
ground for flowers by countries like China, Australia, the Netherlands
and Taiwan. We can meet the demands of our market with flowers from
Sikkim in a few years' time," Chamling told IANS in an interview here
during a visit to attend the National Development Council meeting.
A
global initiative, "The International Flower Show - Sikkim 2013", the
second edition of the state's official flower showcase, will push
Chamling's floral envelope to new frontiers Feb 23-27 at Saramsa Garden
in East Sikkim district, 15 km from capital Gangtok.
The event is
expected to draw 200,000 visitors and boost flori-tourism - an emerging
genre of nature tourism - in a state that is known for its rich
bio-diversity.
Instituted in 2008, the flower show will host bulk
of the state's nearly 5,000 floral species, including its 500 colourful
orchids. Four years ago, the International Flori Show had seen 22
international companies, 65 national companies and 15 state governments.
The objective then was to exhibit the state's floral potential.
Chamling
said Sikkim is promoting floriculture as an alternative livelihood in
the state among educated youth with "free infrastructure, planting
material and technology to cultivators to develop cut flower varieties".
Two
first joint venture companies set up in 2004-05 produce and market
Cymbidium and Anthurium cut flowers, collected from the plants with
stems and leaves.
"Floriculture is becoming a profession because
Sikkim is going to become an organic state by 2015. It will be the only
state to grow flowers organically," Chamling said.
Officials of the floriculture department say the state plans to bring 50,000 hectares of land under organic cultivation by 2015.
Nearly
18,000 hectares of land under organic cultivation has been certified by
the government and another 18,000 hectares are on the way to being
declared so. Nearly 5,000 farmers cultivate flowers for a living,
official estimates say.
"Our growth rate is 12.62 percent and floriculture contributes to it," said the chief minister.
The
government has put together a mechanism to train youth in flower
cultivation, Champing said. "For the last 10 years, livelihood schools
at the district have been educating young people in various vocational
skills so that they become a highly-skilled human resource," Chamling
added.
"Sikkim is investor-friendly and is looking for
investments in horticulture and floriculture. We want to take their
expertise, technology and devise ways to develop the market," he said.
At
the moment, there is no government-to-government initiative between
Sikkim and any foreign country, but on a private level, Sikkim is
working on marketing and knowhow with Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan,
floriculture department officials said.
A new airport at Pakyong
in East Sikkim district, 30 km from Gangtok, likely to be ready by 2015
will push the domestic supply chain with direct access to New Delhi.
The
geography of Sikkim is congenial to green industries, Chamling said.
The state government has banned use of plastic and chemical fertiliser.
"A '10-Minute To Earth' programme launched in 2009 ensures that every
Sikkimese plants one sapling to turn it into a green state," he added.
Spread
across 7,096 sq km and sharing its borders with Bhutan, China (Tibet
Autonomous Region) and Nepal, Sikkim with a population of 607,000 is
India's second least populated state after Goa in the west. It has
diverse agro-ecological zones ranging from the sub-tropical in the lower
valleys to alpine conditions in the higher reaches, making it one of
the most potential floriculture zones in the country along with the
other seven states of northeastern India. It has been honoured with
national awards for its green initiatives.
(Madhusree Chatterjee can be contacted at madhu.c@ians.in)
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