|
STATE LEVEL NGO'S
MEET ON MEDICINAL PLANTS CONSERVATION AND PROMOTION ::
- held at TMSSS Empowerment Centre, Tiruchirappalli on 09-June-2003
-
The meet was started with the registration
of participants from 9:00am in the Meeting Venue. The participants
were registered and provided resource materials.
By 10:00am the Inaugural Session was started with "Tamil
Thaai Vaazhthu", the official recital of the Government.
Mr.Gopalakrishnan, Deputy Director of Indian System of Medicines
and Homoeopathy presided over the function. Mr.V.Ramani, Director,
Gandeepam, Member of State Medicinal Plants Board, Chennai welcomed
the resource persons and participants. On his speech he stated
that this one day workshop is aimed at creating to take up the
Medicinal plants cultivation and promotion. And the objectives
are as follows :
- To create awareness and importance of medicinal plants
- To study salient features of various medicinal plants
- How to approach to get a Medicinal Plants Board project
- How to fill up the application
- and to give an orientation towards the various stages
involved
The resource persons were:
- Dr. Gopalakrishnan, Deputy Director, State medicinal
Plants Board, Chennai
- Mr.K.Shanmugasundaram, Joint Director, Department of
Horticulture, Pudukkotai
- Mr.P.Selvaraj, Asst. General Manger, NABARD, Tiruchirappalli
- Mr.Govindaraju, Asst. Director of Horticulture, Tiruchirappalli
- Mr.G.Raju, Managing Director, Grama Mooligai Company
Limited (GMCL), Bangalore
- Dr.G.V.Gopinath, WED Forum, Pudukkottai
- Mr.G.Hariramamoorthy, Senior Programme Officer, FRLHT,
Bangalore
- Sr.Maria Kamalam, Director, SOCSEAD, Tiruchirappalli
- Mr.C.Jagannathan, Director, Andhyodhaya Sangh, Tiruchirappalli
Mr.P.Selvaraj, AGM (DD), NABARD, Trichy, proceeded the programme
as the first person. He explained the schemes and programmes
available in NABARD for promoting micro enterprises including
medicinal plants cultivation. He said that the Bank is supporting
programmes on :
a) Research
b) District Level Conference
c) Model Projects
He said that NABARD assists programmes through Commercial Banks,
Regional Rural Banks and Co-operative banks under refinance
scheme. He added that the medicinal plants cultivation also
could be assisted under agricultural activity scheme. He assured
all the possible assistance by NABARD in supporting medicinal
plants cultivation activities. He appreciated the functionality
of Self Help Groups (SHGs), Farmers group and preferred group
activities as suitable mechanism for promoting cultivation of
medicinal plants.
Mr. Shanmugasundaram, Joint Director of Horticulture, Pudukkottai,
in his speech narrated the history of medicinal plants and the
usage in Siddha Health Care System as a traditional medical
practice in ancient Tamil Nadu. He said that in olden days,
there were about 42000 medicinal plants in use as food as well
as medicine. Now, it has vanished and come down to mere 2000
to 3000 of which 289 species are in regular use by the people
in medical care. He said that Adharvana Veda is the text, which
describes the medicinal plants, and their uses as said by Godly
people. Siddhars had formulated prescriptions for diseases of
chronic, and other kind. He praised the services rendered by
Gandeepam in promoting medicinal plants.
Mr.Govindaraju, Assistant Director of Horticulture, Tiruchirappalli,
briefed the schemes and programmes implemented by the Horticulture
Department directly and through NGOs. He said there are two
types of schemes sponsored by Central government and State Government.
He added that the Central Government has launched a scheme known
as Medicinal Plants Development Programme for Tribal Communities.
Under this scheme, it is supported for plantation of medicinal
as well as aromatic plants. A subsidy of Rs. 1500 per 0.5 Hectare
is supported under this scheme, he added.
Sr.Maria Kamalam from SOCSEAD, Trichy, shared her experience
with the participants and ended her speech with the blessings
to SMPB and Gandeepam as well for the success of their noble
endeavours.
Mr.Jagannathan from Andhyodhaya explained his experience
in medicinal plants cultivation and marketing. He briefed the
result of Agro Trial made in Ocimum sanctum,Bacopa monnieri,
Muccanna purpidts plants and marketing experience Neem seeds
&oils, Baccpa monieri & Gymnema sylverstre. He stressed
that a clear cut idea and very cautious planning of marketing
are very essential for survival in the field. He said the price
fluctuation is the gambler in the medicinal plants cultivation
and marketing.
With his speech the inaugural session
ended. Mr. Ramani, offering "Ponnaadai" to the resource
persons, proposed a vote of thanks. After a break of 15 minutes
for tea, the session resumed with the problem analysis of medicinal
plants.
The first session was proceeded by Mr.G.Raju, Managing
Director, Grama Mooligai Company Limited (GMCL), Bangalore.
While explaining the market trend of medicinal plants, he made
the participants sore over the expected prospects of commercial
viability of medicinal plants cultivation. He categorically
explained with past experience he came across medicinal plants
trade. The fluctuation of price during plantation and harvesting
was in contradiction and some times results in very stranded
condition for growers as well as suppliers. He said the price
depression is being the common phenomena and suggested the participants
to find out an agreement with the purchasing company to supply
the medicinal plants in confirmed quantity at a confirmed price
over a definite period of time to secure them from the risk
of price fluctuation. He quoted many living examples faced by
the growers as well as suppliers of Bacopa monnieri,Andrographis
paniculata,Withania somnifera,Bacopa monnieri,Ocimum sanctum,Gymnema
sylvestre etc. He also said that the GMCL is prepared to get
agreement with the growers for purchasing medicinal plants with
guaranteed price and quantity. He said it is essential to have
a discussion before plantation with the purchasers on what type
of plants should be grown and what kind of commercial activity
would be viable.For that he assured to support the farmers with
technical guidance.
The second session was proceeded
by Dr.G.V.Gopinath, WED Forum, Pudukkottai. He shared
his experience in implementing Agro Tech Trial on 3 crops Andrographis
paniculata, Phyllanthus amerus and Solanum nigrum. He categorized
the observations through comparative study of the same species
grown in organic system as well as chemical fertilizer usage
in various agro claimatic conditions and we can see 80% of the
seed germination in organic methodology . According to his observation,
the organic system seems better compared to chemical fertilizers
using method of cultivation. His view about the cultivation
of medicinal plants was that it bears the risk of marketing
and insisted to have an in depth study of the plant and its
marketing viability. He suggested some plants which have a regular
demand in the local market and commercial and technical viability.
One of them is curry leaf.
The third session was proceeded
by Dr.Gopalakrishnan, Deputy Director, State Medicinal Plants
Board, Chennai. He briefed the need for starting Medicinal
Plants Board at state level as State Medicinal Plants Board
and National Medicinal Plants Board at national level. He said
the medicinal plants are used as food as well as medicines.
He narrated the story of how the medicinal plants Boards were
evolved. He explained the activities in cultivation of common
medicinal plants and support for promoting 32 endangered species.
He asked for considering the locational advantages of cultivation,
viability of the plant species and preferred organic farming
system in cultivating medicinal plants. He suggested various
measures for making medicinal plants cultivation as a viable
and profitable venture to the farmers. He assured the cooperation
of the medicinal Plant Boards for timely assistance in this
endeavour of promoting cultivation of medicinal plants.
The session was dispersed for lunch at
1:40pm. The participants were provided food and snacks during
the programme.
The next session started at 2:40pm and it was proceeded by Mr.Hariramamoorthy,
Senior Programme Officer, FRLHT, Bangalore. He started with
success stories of persons and organizations who succeeded in
promoting medicinal plants conservation and cultivation. He
advocated that the success of medicinal plants cultivation depends
upon the processing them into drugs for local use rather than
selling the plants to the purchasers. He quoted many examples
including Gandeepam.
After a break for 15 minutes for tea the
session resumed by 4.00 PM.
As Action Plan, the following programmes were chalked out :
1. Resource center development
2. Agro Tech Trial
3. Cultivation of commercially
viable species
4. Semi processing and marketing
Of the above, the Resource Center Development will be made at
NGO level with up to date information and documentation facilities
to provide services to the farmers. The Agro-Tech Trial will
be made by the NGO in the farmlands where medicinal plants are
being cultivated by the farmers who have been organized under
this programme. The cultivation and marketing will be undertaken
by the farmer groups and the NGO will monitor and facilitate
their activities for still better performance. The National
Medicinal Plants Board is to assist the above activities and
tie up arrangements for marketing the plants will be arranged
as one of the follow up actions. Gram Mooligai Company Limited
(GMCL), Bangalore has agreed for buy back arrangements of the
medicinal plants raised by the farmers. The Sanjeevini Siddhar
Herbal Products Limited (SSHPL) has decided to arrange for buy
back tie up for some select medicinal plants for their pharmaceutical
use.
As a concluding session, the participants raised more doubts
and suspicions on cultivation of medicinal plants, risks encountered
like water, manure, organic system of farming, etc. Mr. V.Ramani
explained to the questions raised by the participants. When
new NGO partners raised a question whether Gandeepam would support
new initiatives in promotion of medicinal plants, he assured
technical support such as training, monitoring, facilitation
and evaluation with providing up to date information on medicinal
plants. At the end of the programme there was a evaluation of
the programme. Mr. N. Krishnamoorthy from Kalaimagal Kalvi Sangam,
Ambasamudram, Tirunelveli District, Mr. Immanuel from Morning
Star, Chennai and Mr. Arul Manohar from Centre for Social Development,
Ammandiviala, Kanyakumari District expressed their views on
the one day Seminar. They expressed as an unique programme which
has ended successfully. Mr. Arul Manohar pointed out that most
of their doubts were now cleared for right steps in future in
medicinal plants conservation and cultivation. He said, the
resource materials, food and snacks, hall facilities all were
well and good and satisfactory. At 5:30pm, the meet came to
the end. Mr. Anbalagan, RIGHTS from Pudukkottai proposed a vote
of thanks. It ended with National Anthem.
This programme was organized by Gandeepam by the support of
the participants. The State Medicinal Plants Board, Chennai
has supported the planning of the programme as guided by National
Medicinal Plants Board, New Delhi. |
