In Valley, Centre sows a bright idea

With a wide range of medicinal plants being available here, the ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Commerce have decided to set up a medicinal plant processing zone in the Valley.

With a wide range of medicinal plants being available here, the ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Commerce have decided to set up a medicinal plant processing zone in the Valley. While Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, during his visit to Srinagar early this week for reviewing the National Rural Health Mission NRHM, directed district health officials at a meeting to start working in this area at the earliest, Commerce Minister Jairam Ramesh announced to provide an initial financial assistance for the project.

The proposal is to start the venture in partnership with a private party having experience in the field. 8220;We are ready to provide all our assistance for this project,8221; said Ramadoss. Once a party is roped in, it will then have to identify clusters in the area rich in medicinal plants and encourage farmers for 8220;contract farming8221;.

8220;A comprehensive assistance to farmers in the form of seeds, finance and technology would be provided at the facilities. There will also be a 100-per cent buyback scheme for the produce for underscoring the need to promote traditional medicines. And farmers will have to be encouraged to grow more such plants so as to be able to export them,8221; said HNJ Singh, superintending engineer, Central Public Works Department CPWD.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was also present at the meeting, said, 8220;The problems here are manifold. While the geographical area of this state is almost double compared to Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, the road connectivity is just 5-11 per cent. All these things will have to be kept in mind.8221;

Health officials are upbeat about the plan. 8220;Srinagar has a varied variety of medicinal plants like shatavar, ashwagandha, daruhaldi, which are in high demand and can open new avenues for export to other countries,8221; said Mangat Ram Sharma, state8217;s Health Minister.

Jairam Ramesh said 60 per cent of the varieties available were going in raw form to other countries, yielding only Rs 800 crore. 8220;Their cultivation, processing and then export will hence prove to be beneficial not only for the Government but for farmers too.8221;