Mein bats for technical cooperation between RFRI, SHRDI
JORHAT, Sept 11: Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein led a team of scientist from the state to the Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI) in Assam’s Jorhat on Monday to bring about technical cooperation between the institute and State Horticulture Research and Development Institute (SHRDI) and to draw a roadmap for launching of Arunachal Pradesh Bio-Resource Development Mission in the state.
This was the DCM’s second visit to RFRI. He met the director and scientists of RFRI and called for joint effort of RFRI and SHRDI for systematic plan for research and documentation and appealed RFRI to be part of the development process in the state.
During the interactive meeting, Mein said that Aruanchal Pradesh has a vast bio- resource that could be turned into big enterprise for the benefit of the people to ensure livelihood by developing rich bio-diversity of the state which will go a long way in conserving the forest and the ecosystem.
“Arunachal being one of the world’s bio-diversity hotspots has numerous economically important plants including rare medicinal plants and orchids which could be developed and cultivated to get good economic returns,” Mein said.
He added that the state government is contemplating a long-term policy programme to protect, preserve and utilise the rich bio-diversity of the state by launching the AP Bio Resource Mission expected to benefit the poor farmers of the state and also mooted the establishment of North East Bio Resource Centre at Itanagar.
The DCM also highlighted that due to the lack of awareness and less research lots of important plant bio-resources have drained out of the state citing example of orchid and costly agar plant which was hugely available but due to rampant extraction from outside people now it has been lost significantly.
While asking the scientists from SHRDI and RFRI to work in coordination for the various researches and resource development works in the state, Mein sought adoption of innovative ideas and use latest technology for research and development.
While appreciating the good work carried out by the young scientist of the state, Mein urged the scientist of SHRDI to prepare a PPT presentation on the outcome of Monday’s meeting to be given to Chief Minister Pema Khandu. He also requested the RFRI Director RSC Jayaraj to bring the team of scientists to the frontier state.
Appreciating the visit of DCM, Jayaraj highlighted the activities of RFRI and said that the institute will provide all support to Arunachal Pradesh on sustainable development through people-oriented forestry research and extension activities.
Earlier, SHRDI Head Egam Basar said that the visit of DCM and a team of scientists to RFRI is the beginning of the technical cooperation between RFRI and SHRDI and to prepare roadmap for the mission. He said that to make the mission technically sound for successful ground implementation, research, documentation and development of quality planting material and cultivation technology of indigenous economic plants will be the first priority for which internal and external technical cooperation will be engaged among the research institutes The team from Arunachal Pradesh included scientists from SFRI D Yonggam and O Apang.