VP starts orchid greenhouse development

VP starts orchid greenhouse development

BOGOR (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri symbolically
inaugurated the construction of a Rp 4.8 billion (about
US$436,300) greenhouse for orchids at Bogor Botanical Garden on
Sunday.

The greenhouse, which will cover 1,200 square meters, will be
able to house 2,000 orchids, between 100 and 200 species and 89
hybrids.

The construction of the greenhouse will by fully financed by
the state budget, Megawati said.

Megawati also expressed her willingness to help maintain and
develop four national botanical gardens across the country,
including three in Java and one in Bali.

"I want to take care of the four botanical gardens in Java and
in Bali. I hope I can do it during my term," Megawati said.

Several high-ranking officials, including Minister of Energy
and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro and several ambassadors
and representatives from Algiers, Chile and India attended the
ceremony.

On the same occasion, Algerian Ambassador Sofiane Mimouni
donated 77 plant species from Algeria and expressed the hope that
they could be placed in a special plot in the Bogor Botanical
gardens.

But the garden's conservation head Dedy Darnaedi said the
plant species could not be put in a special plot as the garden
was already full.

"Maybe we could place them in a special plot in Cibodas
gardens," Dedi said, referring to the gardens in nearby Puncak,
West Java. (21/jun)