KHETRI, July 9 ? With the opening of the North-east?s first state-of-the-art Research and Development Centre for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants set up by the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi) at Khetri, 25 km from the city, today, the stage is set for an ?aromatic revolution? in the State. Hailing the venture that is expected to give a big boost to commercialization of medicinal and aromatic plants that have tremendous potential in the State, scientists and experts who gathered on the occasion, felt that the centre, by way of imparting the much-needed technical guidance, providing extension services and facilitating market linkage, would open up new vistas on the front. ?If things are done in a planned manner, Assam can very well emerge as a leading global player in the field,? they asserted.
Spread over an area of ten bighas along the National Highway-37, the centre is equipped with all the facilities like quality-control laboratory, green house, mist chamber, nursery, model distillation plants, demonstration plots, etc., along with a full-fledged training hall and a hostel, accommodating 30 entrepreneurs at a time. A herbal garden is an added feature to the campus. Formally inaugurating the centre today, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi regretted that for too long the State had been oblivious to the immense wealth bestowed on it by nature, and voiced confidence that the centre would help create a new generation of agricultural entrepreneurs, especially fro rural Assam. ?We did not even know that many of our household plants and vegetables contained great medicinal and aromatic value, and if done commercially, this could change the very face of our economy,? he said. Outlining the Government?s thrust on the sector, he further urged the NEDFi to consider starting similar set-ups in other parts of the State.
Senior scientist of the centre Dr Maniruddin Ahmed said it has identified a number of plants for medicinal and aromatic purposes like vetera (Jatropha curcas) which is a source of bio-diesel, lipstick plant, agaru, mou-tulasi, white sandal, baghnala, monisal, menthol mint, arjun, etc. ?Significantly, many of these are suited for cultivation in difficult regions such as rainshadow belt area, flood-affected area, erosion-prone area, hilly terrain, etc., and we have already identified these places and the process of cultivation can be started,? he said. Dr Ahmed said the soil and climate of the State is naturally conducive for medicinal and aromatic cropping but not much had been done to tap it for commercial purposes.
It may be mentioned that patchouli (an aromatic plant) cultivation is slowly gaining grounds in the State and Arunachal Pradesh following the NEDFi?s initiative. Patchouli plantation in the State now covers over 5,000 bighas of land, and the patchouli oil produced here is making forays into the internaional market. During this year, the NEDFi has taken up two more aromatic plants ? geranium and vetiver for large-scale cultivation, NEDFi CMD JP Saikia said. In fact, the entire Morigaon district has been identified for commercial vetiver cropping which grows in well in degraded sandy soil. The district administration, the NABARD and the SBI have joined hands for this big project. Once the planting materials are ready, commercial plantation will be taken up covering the whole of the district. The present market rate of the oil extracted from the plant?s roots is Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000 per kg.
The infrastructure of the centre has almost been complete and it will start imparting training to farmers and officers from next month onwards. The North Eastern Council, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests have extended financial assistance for development of the necessary infrastructure for the research centre. The land has been provided by the State Agriculture Department on lease.