Shillong flower show attracts visitors

Shillong, Nov 4: Hundreds of flower lovers thronged the annual autumn flower show in Shillong.

Organized by the Shillong Agri-Horticulture Society, the flower show aims to encourage flower exhibitors. As many as 370 entries were registered from all over the country.

"I can see the enthusiasm of the people coming here, which is really encouraging. The quality of the flowers is also very good. The efforts that have gone into organizing this show are awesome," said Watila, a participant.

Organizer of the show Sheba Rathore called the show as a big-hit, with people from Shillong also participating in the show.

"This is the best show since the last few years because it's the people of Shillong who have participated in the show. Normally, the people from the armed forces participate in this show, but this time it is very personal and individual people have participated," said Sheba Rathore.

This year, the major attraction among the visitors was the Red-ginger flower (alpinia purpurata), a tropical flower, which has been introduced to many horticulturists of the state.

With its sub-tropical climate, Shillong has the perfect weather for beautiful blooms and is home to more than 600 varieties of flowers, besides hundreds of other varieties as well.

India's annual flower production is about 1,000 tonnes. A large number of flowers meet the huge domestic demand while most of the cut flowers are sent to Amsterdam from where they are distributed to other European countries.

--ANI