WB, Karnataka and TN are the major exporters of flower from India. The flowers are exported to European countries (including UK), Middle East, SA, Far East etc. The business get a lot of support from State Government including cold storage. The State Government in these states prefer not to wait for GOI to do everything for them.
Phytosanitary certification from India are recognized in US and that's how Indian Mangoes are now being imported in US. However, the last I knew was there is just one lab in India. I must say that the orchids are beautifull but the beauty has been magnified manifold by the eye behind the lens. >It is a very complicated issue Uttam. >Orchids are very special plants. Their cultural >requirements are very >demanding. You can keep them alive and even make >them grow well out >of their natural habitats, but you may not be able >to make them >bloom. Kopou-ful ( Rhynchostylis retusa) is almost >impossible to >bring to bloom, even in a simple green house like >ours. It needs >precise temperature , humidity and brightness of >light conditions that can be replicated only in a very sophisticated greenhouse. International laws prohibit collecting, owning, selling or exporting of orchids from their natural habitats. Only commercially grown orchids can be exported or imported. And to import to the USA the exporter must be able to furnish proof that: A: It is commercially grown and can be certified in accordance with CITES regulations. B: That the plants are not contaminated with organisms such as fungi, bacteria or viruses. This is done by producing what is called "phytosanitary certification" from an accredited laboratory. Among the many orchid producing countries of the world India and Bangladesh are the only ones that I know of that do not have lab. facilities that would be recognized by the USA. So no orchid export takes place, legally, from India to the USA. Incidentally, almost all but the rarest of rare or endangered orchids that grow in south Asia can be purchased from many orchid growers across the USA, Europe, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan etc. They are not even as expensive as some of the hybrids. The reasons are several: A: Orchids from Assam and the surrounding region are what is called "species" orchids--not hybrids. They are pure. But they are not easy to care for, have stringent cultural needs. B: As showy as our orchids are, the flowers are short lived, compared to many orchids from other regions. The two orchids whose pictures I posted here will last, at most, two weeks. That is nothing compared to some or hybrid Dendrobiums or Phalaenopses or Cymbidiums or Oncidiums that routinely last two to three months. BTW some varieties of the latter two grow in the wilds of Arunachal as well as the Khasi Hills. The only cymbidiums we see in the Brahmaputra valley are those that grow on the trunks and branches of huge trees that produce little and not-so-attractive flowers on long pendulous growths. These are called Cymbidium pendulata. Even though these are not showy, they are sought after by breeders for cross breeding to produce more attractive hybrids. But they are extremely difficult to bring to bloom in temperate climates. I have had a large plant for years, but no flowers! Commercial orchid growing, both as cut flowers as well as plants have a great potential in Assam,. But transportation and cold storage for flowers and CITES and Phytosanitary certification for export are the road-blocks, as they always have been. Few things change in India as you well know. At 2:34 AM +0100 4/10/08, uttam borthakur wrote: >The magic of the green fingers. It is simply glorious. > > Chandan Da, is there any easy procedure for taking seeds, saplings >etc. from here to US on demand from friends/ relatives or it has to >be a covert work? > >Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote: > Sorry I sent the message without the picture. Here it is: > > > > >Here are two glorious orchids from Assam in bloom in our living room. > >The yellow one on the left is Dendrobium fibriatum and the white one >with the yellow center is Dendrobium farmeri. Both are widely found >in the Khasi Hills and cooler areas of Assam as in Upper Assam. > >cm_______________________________________________ >assam mailing list >assam at assamnet.org >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > > > >Uttam Kumar Borthakur > > >--------------------------------- > Best Jokes, Best Friends, Best Food. Get all this and more on Best >of Yahoo! Groups. >_______________________________________________ >assam mailing list >assam at assamnet.org >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
