UNITAID sanctions $9-mn for artemisia cultivation

The United Nations-funded UNITAID, an organisation working towards eliminating malaria from the world, has earmarked $9 million for 2009-11 towards the credit scheme facility for cultivation of the artemisia plant.

The artemisia plant is used in the extraction of drug Artemisinin, for the treatment of Malaria.

With a child succumbing to the dreaded malaria every 30 seconds, the World Health Organisation has recommended setting up a credit scheme facility (CSF) for farmers in China, India and Africa to help them grow the plant.

Talking to reporters here, WHO representative and medical officer of Global Malaria Programme Andrea Bosman said, "there is an urgent need to sensitise the farmers to grow artemesia crop to meet the demand of 100-tonnes of Artemisin by 2011."

The farmers were not too keen to grow the crop as they are not profitable in comparison to other food and cash crops adding that the farmers need to be given aid such as seeds and buyback facilities to encourage its farming.

Currently, only 30-40 tonnes are being extracted from 7,000 hectares of farming and the need is for 100 tonnes by 2010 to treat 20-million patients.

"There is a huge gap and we need to grow crops at over 25,000 hectares of land for this," Bosman said.

The crop is largely cultivated in China at present followed by a few African countries. India contributes a small fraction.

The project will aim to secure realistic and fair pricing schemes to be agreed upon between the selected ACT producers and their extractor partners. The project will also offer contract financing to extractors and farmers.