AIZAWL, Sept 21 NNN: Anthurium Festival 2012 gets started at Reiek Tourist Resort in Aizawl.
The festival which will conclude on Saturday was inaugurated by Mizoram Governor Vakkom Purushothaman.
Anthurium is a popular flower all over the world and Mizoram which is blessed with the abundance of the flower has begun exporting it since few years ago.
Vakhom said Mizoram delivering a speech on the occasion appeals the Mizos to do something for attraqcting tourists. “Mizoram is a lovely state but if tourists are not attracted then it would be pointless,” said the Mizoram Governor.
Meanwhile, the Anthurium Festival has been witnessing various cultural dances from various Mizoram based cultural organisations such as the Lai Cultural Troupe, Mizoram Gorkha Youth Association, and Chakma Cultural Troupe, besides beautiful songs presented by popular Mizo artists and choirs. An open competition of air rifles shooting and climbing; and fishing competition for children less than 12 years of age are some of the features in this year’s Anthurium Festival. Traditional costume parades and fashion shows are being organised, and Mizo-made handloom and handicrafts exhibitions are also underway.
On the conclusion day of the festival i.e September 22, the organisers are preparing for the Anthurium Queen contest.
Large number of tourists from outside Mizoram are participating in the festival.
Mention may be made here that the Anthurium Festival serves the purpose of bringing togetherness among the different tribes in Mizoram and promotes their cultures and at the same time attract domestic and foreign tourists to the beauty of Mizoram. Many farmers in Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Darjeeling had contributed a lot to their state economy through Anthurium cultivation, taking a note of this, Mizoram government had also taking all-out efforts to promote Anthurium cultivation among the farmers. About 700 families in Mizoram are engaged in anthurium cultivation with financial assistance from the horticulture department. With hundreds of house-holds growing the flower, Aizawl district tops all other districts in anthurium cultivation.
Horticulture officials said owing to the state’s suitable geographical conditions, Mizoram’s anthurium flowers are of high quality and are in great demand in other states of India and even abroad, besides the local market. Decorated and medicated anthurium flowers have been exported in huge numbers to countries like Japan, UAE, European countries through an agency called Zo Anthurium Growers Society (ZAGS) working for marketing and others improvement of anthurium farmers in Mizoram. Besides this festival, ZAGS had organised Anthurium Exhibition-cum-Sale programmes in various places of the state to promote farmers and selling the flowers at reasonable prices to the public.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/anthurium-festival-gets-underway/
