Shillong, Dec 14: The Meghalaya Forest and Environment Minister Prestone Tynsong inaugurated the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Shillong Centre at Bio-Resources Development Centre (BDRC) Campus, Upper Shillong. The programme was organised by NBRI in collaboration with BDRC and Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) on Friday.
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entioned here that the State Government also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Botanical Research Institution (NBRI), Lucknow with an aim to develop a centre of excellence as a joint initiative to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth of North East region and Meghalaya in particular.
Addressing the gathering Prestone Tynsong said that the state government is attempting to partner with different institutions and organisations which are being conceptualized with the agreement of NBRI and CISR adding that the partnership will be able to meet the aspirations of the people of the state.
Highlighting about the centre, Tynsong said that this centre would upgrade the quality in terms of technology, human resources development and also provides sustainable agriculture, balanced bio-diversity which will improve and uplift the present socio-economic condition of the people of the state.
Director of the NBRI Dr CS Nautiyal said with the setting up of the NBRI centre here in Shillong under the Integrated Basin development and Livelihood Production Programme (IBDLP), appropriate knowledge and technologies to the local entrepreneurs to tap resources such as medicinal and aromatic plants will be imparted besides teaching them the skills of converting the said resources into value added products.
“We are involve in working with plant sciences for the benefit of our people especially the farmers and we are bringing this synergy with a prone technology to this state and planning to for both short term and long term objectives”, Dr Nautiyal said.
The CSIR technologies would be made available to the people of Meghalaya with an aspiration of improving their quality of lives.
He also informed that they have selected few technologies befitting the climate here in Meghalaya one of which is bio-fertilizers to enhance the growth of plants and have also identified three important plants—Ginger, Potato and important vegetables of the state like pea, lentil and the likes.
“With the use of these technologies, the production yield will be upto 30-35 percent which will boost the production and economic income of the state”, he added.
Highlighting on the focus areas of NBRI, Dr Nautiyal said the centre will focus on sustainable agriculture which is significant feature of this partnership through the use of bio-inoculants besides horticulture (floriculture, medicinal and aromatic plants), plantation crops (betel vines) with main objective of promotion of sustainable livelihood for the people of the state leveraging on the opportunities and strengths of the state’s natural resources.
Another value addition is proposed through introduction of dehydrated floral crafts which offers great scope for women empowerment, said the NBRI director while adding that as Meghalaya is famous for Orchids production, “We will work on this to enhance the production of this particular flower and also introduce floriculture as cash crops in the existing cropping systems of farmers thereby increasing the profitability of agriculture.”
One such example of immediate attention is high mortality during tissue culture and hardening, followed long gestation period in production of orchids, he added.(SP News)
