Model Floriculture Centre

Namchi, 31st July (IPR): The Model Floriculture Centre (MFC) located at Middle Phalidara ward of Maniram-Phalidara GPU is a 2.70 hectare Government property under the department of Horticulture, Government of Sikkim, which was established in the year 2010-11. The centre fulfils two primary mandates of planting material generation and imparting of trainings and demonstrations on flower crops, namely carnation, gerbera, lillium, azaleas, chrysanthemums, cymbidiums and strawberries which are grown in over 14 polyhouses of the centre.
The average annual production capacity of the lab is 10,000 plantlets. The centre has also taken up nursery management of vegetables with a focus to benefit the numerous vegetable growers of Maniram-Phalidara GPU as well as the surrounding areas.
The MFC usually generates average annual revenue of Rs. 2.80 to 3.00 lakhs which transpires primarily from the sale of cut flowers and potted flowering plants and few cuttings/seedling of flowering plants and the sale of tissue-cultured plants.
The centre has a functional cold storage unit for storing plantlets, cut flowers and flower bulbs and these facilities can also be enhanced by the public in storing of vegetables and allied products.
The main functioning of the MFC is guided by two primary objectives, which are commercial production of quality planting material and promoting training and demonstration for flower growers in and around the state.
Model Floriculture Centre has a Plant Tissue culture laboratory, wherein the primary components are: a media preparation room, Inoculation room, Growth room, Media storage room, wash room and Chemical storage room along with the hardening house used for the acclimatization of tissue cultured plants.
The overview of MFC activities are the generation of Tissue cultured plants in a laboratory of size measuring approx 145 sq m, hardening house for TC plants of 350 sq m and the maintainence of various flowers, which includes; carnation in 1 polyhouse of 300sq m, lillium in polyhouse of size 800 sq m and gerbera in 2 polyhouses of 840 sq m, cymbidium in 1 polyhouse of 300 sq m, chrysanthemum in 2 polyhouses of approx 1000 sq m, azalaes in polyhouse of 510 sq m and vegetable nursery, seasonal flowers and indoor plants in a polyhouse of 150 sq m.
The centre consists of an three storied office building a cold storage unit, alongwith other amenities including polyhouses.