9th Aug 2019 10:08:PM Editorials
Eastern Sentinel Arunachal News

During the training programme on aromatic crops which was conducted last Thursday jointly by NEIST Jorhat and College of Horticulture & Forestry, CAU under CSIR Aroma Mission, farmers of a village from the outskirts of Pasighat have been encouraged to practice cultivation of aromatic plants along with their mainstay crops for enhancing income. This effort which comes as a part of the CSIR flagship initiative is highly relevant for Arunachal since all the agricultural factors necessary for cultivation of these plants are present in optimum levels, thanks to the bountiful nature. The world of medicine has started to feel the powers of these plants and are in great need of them, thus signaling the presence of a steady market. With such an encouraging commercial viability ready to be cashed and with the national objective of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 already set in motion, aromatic plants can bring paradigm changes for the state’s farmers if there are sustained and long term efforts.  

India is home to a great variety of ethno-medicinally important plant species, and The Himalayas is designated as one of the global biodiversity hotspots where ecological and evolutionary factors favour high species' diversity. And Arunachal Pradesh is perhaps the richest part of the Eastern Himalayas and a declared ‘biodiversity hotspot’ which is among the total eighteen found in the entire world. The range of species of flowering plants is mind boggling indeed which is more than 5000, out of which 238 are endemic to the state. Demand for aromatic and medicinal plants in the country were always there since traditional health care practices along with area-specific and community-specific folk healthcare practices  existed for centuries. Now, with their extreme wellness capabilities being proven in the most advanced research labs in western world, a renewed interest has been generated and pharmaceutical companies as well as the FMCG makers are all in the hunt for these magic plants for using as raw materials. As per the latest reports, herbal medicine market is all set to grow exponentially  on a global basis and India has a huge chance to capture the major part of it due to the exclusive availability and origin of the most-needed medicinal and aromatic varieties.

The current CSIR initiative which aims to integrate the practice of aromatic crops in the mainstream agricultural routine of farmers is a commendable effort and since Arunachal has a greater chance of performing well in this sector, the aim must be to cover its larger parts which are still waiting to be tapped. Need for a Central Institute Of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants similar to the ones of Lucknow & Bengaluru in state must also be gradually felt by now. 


Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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