Florishow opens up new avenues for the floriculturists in Sikkim

By Tashi Pradhan, Gangtok (Sikkim), Mar 19 : The first International Florishow, held in Sikkim recently, pulled large number of participants from within the country and abroad.

Lauding the effort of the State Government, the participants viewed the festival as unique opportunity for commercial purposes. Showcasing the huge variety of flowers, the Florishow exploded in myriad hues of beautiful blossoms. Sikkim is renowned for its rich flora and the Florishow displayed around 600 species of orchids, 240 species of trees and ferns, 150 varieties of gladioli and 46 types of the world-famous rhododendrons during this show.

Home to more than 600 orchids, Sikkim is known as nature's own garden. The Florishow was first ever-professional floriculture expo facilitating buyer seller meet. A dozen delegates from foreign countries and fifty-eight delegates from across the country thronged this show.

The Florishow proved to be an ideal place for professionals to look for future supply of all types of orchids from Sikkim. The participants were more than elated for having been part of such an event, which opened a plethora of commercial prospects for them alongside opening a window to international flower markets. The international participants pointed out that it is basically the conducive weather conditions that sustain the growth of a large variety of orchids in the state. "There are lots of opportunities for flower production because the climate is very good. You don't have very high and low temperature. So, there are unlimited possibilities for flower production in Sikkim," said Jan Schuttrups, a participant from Netherlands.

Maarten van der leeden, sales manager of a firm, which supplies raw material to farmers from Netherlands appreciated the fact that the prices of flowers in India are much cheaper than in his country. "Our raw material is supplied to the farmers, to the projects here in Sikkim. So, we are suppliers of young rose plants. The difference between Sikkim and Holland as far as orchids are concerned is that the orchids in Sikkim are on a developing stage. The cost price here is much lower than you can expect in Holland. So, we have huge future for orchids here," said Maarten.

The Agriculture and Cooperation Department saw the event as an opportunity to exhibit the flora of the state. The International FloriShow was organised by the State Department of Horticulture, supported by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and various concerned Central institutions. Sikkim is well-known for its rich flora and the festival displayed around 600 species of orchids, 240 species of trees and ferns, 150 varieties of gladioli and 46 types of the world-famous rhododendrons during this show.

--- ANI

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