Making orchids flourish again
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NParks plans to offer its expertise to nurseries and help them produce new varieties of orchids.
PHOTO: ST FILE
All is not lost for Singapore's orchid industry after it was notified last week that the amount of space for growers would be halved.
The National Parks Board said that while it plans to move all orchid nurseries to a 20ha area in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah, it also plans to offer its expertise to nurseries and help them produce new varieties of orchids. It will also work on encouraging nurseries to use technology to shorten growing cycles or increase productivity. This includes using greenhouses and multi-layered growing decks.
The orchid industry has seen the value of exports fall 45 per cent, from US$16.1 million in 2007 to US$8.9 million (S$11.7 million) in 2016.
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