The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) has offered to provide low cost technological innovations for extracting medicinal and other bio-consumable elements from the barks, roots and leaves of the trees uprooted or broken down due to the cyclone Phailin.
At a high-level meeting on Tuesday at the State Secretariat under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, NIF vice chairman Prof Anil Kumar Gupta along with his team made presentations on value addition of the green debris.
According to official sources, the NIF in association with the State Forest and Environment department has enlisted near about 62 types of plant species uprooted or broken by the cyclone which can be utilized for various purposes. The processing will not affect regular timber market as the barks, roots and leaves of those trees will be used. The branches of trees like banyan and neem which are not used for fuel and timber can also be utilized in this manner. Similarly, small technological devices innovated for processing of non- timber forest collection at local level were also elaborated and projected in the meeting.
The NIF has discovered that the extracts of the leaves of Deodaru trees can be used as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel. Stem bark of banyan trees is used in paralysis, diabetes, diarrhoea, bone fracture, bleeding, antiseptic and antidote. The experts of NIF and industrial units also presented similar utilities of the leaves and barks of other trees. The local names of some of these species are Kia, Sajana, Kadamba, Ashoka, Baunsha, Piasala, Asana, Kumbhi, lembu, Kathakadam, Bela, Amala, Sima kayan, Kelikadamba, Kuruma, Karada, Dimiri, Barakoli, Chakunda, Aswastha, Jhari, Nimbi, Deodaru, Jamu, Simili, Champa, Karanja, Tentuli, Kaju and Krishnachuda, etc.
Sources said that Prof Gupta pointed out how more value can be added to the NTFPs in local processing units though small technological innovations. This will add value to the product, provide more monetary return to the tribal and will also generate employment at local level, he said.
The Odisha State Forest Development Corporation has suggested to the NIF that since each year a large quantity of rejected Kendu leaves not suitable for bidi making are lying idle or being put to compost pits, some innovative means needs to be found out for their fruitful utilization. It was decided that the issue would be opened to all technical universities and an award would be announced for the students or practitioners who would suggest ways for value addition of rejected leaves.
Chief Secretary Mohapatra asked the NIF to work out best motor driven models for fishing and tourist boats in Chilika which are non-polluting and friendly for aquatic eco-environment. He also directed the Forest department and ST & SC Development (SSD) department to chalk out a long term plan involving OSFDC, TDCC, and ORMAS for value addition of the NTFPs.