Agriculture is suffering due to poor soil quality, shortage of water and damage by wild animals. In this scenario the cultivation of aromatic plants has considerable scope.
The Centre for Aromatic Plants head scientist Dr Nripendra Chauhan said this while participation in the discussion held in a seminar organised jointly by Centre for Environment Education (CEE Himalaya) and Channel Mountain Communication (CMC) to mark International Day for Biological Diversity in Dehradun on Friday.
Chauhan said that aromatic plants were not eaten by wild animals and can grow even in less water and poor soil conditions, which is their biggest advantage. He informed that CAP had introduced scientific method for growing aromatic plants in the mountainous areas as well as on barren land.
He said crops like Damask rose and lemon grass fetch good price and the CAP is even giving the minimum support price to the farmers for these crops. CMC managing director Jaiprakash Panwar said that as a mountain state, Uttarakhand has an edge over plains as medicinal plants growing in mountains have more efficacy and medicinal properties.
“Making Uttarakhand herbal will go a long way in conserving medicinal plants diversity and stopping migration of youth by generating livelihood opportunities,” he said.
Uttarakhand is rich in biodiversity with 600 of the 1200 bird species of India found in the State. About 18,000 plant species are found in the varied soil and water conditions existing in the State. JP Maithani from Agaaz NGO said the cultivation of medicinal plants should benefit farmers economically.
Stressing on creation of local database for medicinal plants, he appreciated CEE for its role in creating awareness among stakeholders on issues related to medicinal plant conservation like their over harvesting from wild, unsustainable collection, demand in market and potential for cultivation.
He asserted that all the farmers should be trained and taught the scientific collection and scientific methods for the production of the medicinal plants adding that Uttarakhand’s ecology and market potential has great scope for aromatic plant cultivation.