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Ayurveda Go To Index Page Cultivation of medicinal plants a new trend in Punjab Sangrur/Moga: Ayurveda, homeopathy and Unani are all centuries-old Indian traditional therapies of treating various ailments, and they all depend on the plants used in extracting medicines. And now cultivating medicinal plants has fast emerged as a new trend among the farmers in Punjab, as not only is it lucrative but also an alternative form of farming to meet the growing international demand for herbal products. At the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, the experts spend their time in busy experimenting in diversifying conventional wheat and paddy rotation. An alternative is also medicinal foliage, now in great demand the world over. Out of some 140 medicinal varieties of plants to experiment with, the agro-experts have recommended some 10 varieties of herbal plants like Fennel, Aloe Vera, Menthol, Withania and Stevia to the farmers. Efforts are also on to bring more approved varieties to the farmers. Dr SS Saini, an agronomy expert at the University said, "Every crop has its advantages. While growing regular wheat and paddy crops we had many problems like the accumulation of ground water and the excessive use of insecticides. Along with the routine crops if we grow other crops, the diversification would rid us of such problems. In the end, it benefits the farmers more". Sohan Singh of Mathani village in Moga district is now rooting out Menthol seeds, to cultivate in his 12 acres of land. He started growing menthol, four-years ago and today he is reaping its benefits, as an acre of menthol fetches him 300 US dollars compared to an acre of wheat which would fetch him only 200 US dollars. "The people from the processing unit came to us and told to grow menthol. In the beginning for one or two year, they trained us about the method to grow the crop. Later, we became experienced enough to grow it our own. We are able to earn 10 to 12,000 rupees per acre of land, said Sohan Singh, a menthol farmer. For many, Aloe Vera is the lucrative option. Grown in some 160 acres under contract farming, farmers are now opting for this ayurvedic plant, traditionally used in India for ayurvedic purposes. A one-time investment for the farmers, the gel is extracted after plucking the leaves and converted into some 20 products including Aloe Vera juice and skin gel. In spite of all this only a few processing units have come up so far in the state. Ish
Gupta is among those few who have set up a small unit in Sangrur district
for Aloe Vera, which has in the process inspired many others to follow
suit. "We have adopted Aloe Vera because it is in great demand in Europe
and countries like France. Recently I got e-mail from France, where
they had asked for Aloe Vera products. However, the major obstacle we
are facing is that our land is not organic. It takes three years for
the land to become organic and then only will there be a possibility
to export our products," said Ish Kumar Gupta, owner of Himalayan Herbal
Product in Sangrur. Total area under herbal plants cultivation is some
50 thousand acres in Punjab. It is a small beginning for both the farmers
and the industrialists, but most importantly, it is helping in reviving
a centuries old tradition of Indian medicines.
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