Surinder Sud: A game changer for small farmers

Medicinal and aromatic species can be grown as solo, mixed or inter-crops without expensive cash inputs

Induction of medicinal and aromatic plants in cropping systems can be a game changer for small farmers, especially those tilling unirrigated and poor quality lands, as it can supplement their income appreciably. Most of these plants, used for making traditional and prescription drugs, cosmetics and perfumes, do not need expensive cash inputs to grow. Besides, they can withstand stresses like drought, extreme temperatures and even soil salinity and alkalinity. Their inter-cropping with other agricultural and horticultural crops is advisable because these are generally despised by wild animals, including monkeys and stray cattle, and can, therefore, protect the crops from them.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reckons that nearly 80 per cent people in developing countries rely mostly on herbs-based medicines to meet their health needs. The age-old health care systems, such as Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani, are based almost exclusively on therapeutic traits of herbs. A sizable segment of homeopathic medicines and nearly 40 per cent of the modern drugs are also derived from ingredients sourced from these plants.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, the global demand and, hence, trade of medicinal and aromatic plants and their products is growing by over 15 per cent annually. Analysts believe that the world market of herbal products may swell to $5 trillion by 2050, driven largely by growing demand of side effects-free plants-based drugs. However, India’s share in the international trade is rather meagre though it has an enormous wealth of natural flora and is often called “herbarium of the world”. India is counted among 12 mega biodiversity-rich countries, possessing two of the world’s 18 biodiversity hot spots. But, sadly, of about 960 herbal species traded in the country, hardly about 35-40 are grown commercially; the rest are sourced from the forests, thus, causing rapid depletion of wild stocks. More disquietingly, these herbs are collected in a destructive manner, leaving little scope for their resurgence.

Cautioning against such plunder of the wild stock of therapeutic and scented plants, a policy paper (No. 79) brought out by the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) in May this year counselled that these should be “cultivated” rather than “collected”. Many of these valuable species can easily be grown as solo, mixed or inter-crops along with other agricultural and horticultural crops to generate extra income for the farmers.

The paper points out that nearly five lakh farmers are already cultivating mint to produce mentha or menthol worth over Rs 3,500 crore annually. This has made India the world’s largest producer and exporter of mint. Similarly, India is also the largest player in the world bazaar of isabgol, another commonly used herbal product, with a market share of 80 per cent. Senna and poppy seeds are among the other crops that are grown in India to cater to the domestic and international demand.

The NAAS paper also makes a strong plea for value addition of medicinal and aromatic plants and their products rather than exporting them in crude form as is being done at present. This would, however, require development of value chains with forward and backward linkages between growers and end-users for mutual benefit.

Fortunately, an Aroma and Phyto-Pharmaceutical Mission has recently come up to promote the farming of important aromatic and medicinal herbs on unproductive, marginal and wastelands and processing of their products for value-enhancement. The states which are deemed to have good potential for such farming include Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and the entire north-eastern region. Many of these states can grow common, but widely traded, species like lavender, rosemary, lemon grass, ashwagandha, satavar and many others. Several scientific institutions engaged in research and development of medicinal and scented plant species are expected to participate in this initiative. It is believed that at least 6,000 hectares of additional land can be brought under these valuable crops in next two years to generate extra income of between Rs 25,000 and Rs 75,000 per hectare. This venture, if successful, can indeed be a boon for small farmers.

surinder.sud@gmail.com