Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

Now, farmers of drought-hit areas to grow medicinal, aromatic plants

- Richa Srivastava

LUCKNOW: Teams of scientists of the Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) have taken off to drought-hit areas across India, to help farmers understand the benefits of medicinal and aromatic plant varieties. After conducting thorough research on the type of soil and other conditions of the areas that they are visiting, scientists will be educating cultivator­s on adopting new farming practices that would also be profitable.

Prof AK Tripathi, director CSIR CIMAP said, “Four teams of scientists have gone to places in Vidarbha (Maharashtr­a), Bundelkhan­d (UP and MP), Rajasthan and Orissa, to make farmers realise the benefits of planting medicinal and aromatic plants. We are targeting the driest areas to ensure profits for the worst-affected farmers.”

Tripathi informed that the initiative is a part of the ‘Aroma Mission’ that would be launched by the prime minister next month. “The project would be launched next month but we did not want to miss out on the plantation season. Thus, our scientists have already moved to different places for the task.”

As part of the plan, nearly 120 acres will witness plantation of medicinal and aromatic plants in Vidarbha (and adjoin areas), as well as in Bundelkhan­d. In Rajasthan, 20 acres of farmland will be covered. These areas, Tripathi said, would be expanded to 1000 acres each by next year.

CIMAP scientists will also go to tsunami-affected areas in Tamil Nadu next month, to replace the vetiver varieties being grown there with high-yielding varieties developed by the institute.

The plan also includes facilitati­ng easy marketing and processing as part of the mission, said Tripathi. “From distillati­on units for aromatic plants to collection and marketing – everything will be taken care of as part of the initiative,” he said.

Various economical­ly important aromatic crops such as mints, vetiver, lemongrass, palmarosa, ocimum, patchouli, lavender, rosemary, tagetes, Jammu monarda, valerian, etc will be planted. Financiall­y important medicinal plants like kalmegh, ashwagandh­a, satavar, senna, silybum, curcuma, swertia, etc will also be cultivated.

“Cultivatio­n of these crops will be promoted specially in unproducti­ve, marginal wastelands including those affected by water scarcity, drought, salinity or floods all over the country,” said Tripathi, adding, “The idea is not to disturb traditiona­l practices but promote the cultivatio­n of medicinal and aromatic plants.”

Tripathi estimated that a minimum of 6000 hectares of additional area would be brought under cultivatio­n of aromatic and medicinal crops. In addition, employment generation among rural youth and creation of skilled manpower is expected to lead to an estimated income enhancemen­t of ` 25,000 to 75,000 per hectare for farmers, he added.

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