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Ayurveda Go To Index Page High profit medicinal farming popular in Central India Indore: Medicinal farming is fast picking up in Central India, with farmers taking it up for reaping higher profits. The increasing popularity of herbal-based medicines among masses world-wide has created a thriving market for medicinal plants. Earlier an abundant growth of such plants in the wild sustained the demand of the market. However, continuous exploitation of the forest cover led to the disappearance of such plants. But now, growing demand for herbal plants together with its economic viability has prompted farmers to cultivate a variety of medicinal plants on a large scale. Acres of land, once under traditional farming are now covered with medicinal plants and trees such as Safed Musli, Ashwagandha, Amla (Indian gooseberry), Sridar Patidar, Gur- Mar, Jamun Sativa and Patchtoli. Farmers say that the cultivation of medicinal plants is not only economical and ecologically safe, but also more beneficial. "Capital investment in the cultivation of medicinal plants is very less in comparison to that in traditional farming. It is also more beneficial, about four to five times more beneficial than traditional farming. The marketing of medicinal plants is also expanding and if we tie up with big companies, then marketing is not a problem," said Ram Patidar, a farmer, said. Besides the cultivation of single species of plants, the farmers grow a combination of trees, shrubs, herbs and climbers for optimum productivity. Safed Musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum belonging to the family Liliaceae), which has aphrodisiac properties is the most popular among the medicinal plants and is grown widely. However,
farmers complain that the government is not providing export facilities,
which is forcing them to settle for a fraction of the actual market
rates of the plant. "There is a an international market for Safed Musli.
It is sold for 3000 to 4000 rupees per kilogram in the international
market. However, in our country the government is not providing any
such facilities, for exporting our produce. The agents come and collect
the herbs for about 500 rupees to 700 rupees per kilogram and then sell
in the market at the international rates," Ashok Patidar, another farmer,
said. Medicinal plants and their use to cure ailments are a part and
parcel of the traditional Indian system of medicine dating back to thousand
of years. As a group, medicinal plants comprise approximately 8000 species
and account for 50 percent of the higher flowering plant species in
India.
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