Kozhikode, Nov 07: Nandan Agro Farms, the Andhra Pradesh-based medicinal plants consulting company, has drawn up ambitious plans to promote the cultivation of 'safed musli' and other valuable herbs across the country. "Though China and India have an equal 30 per cent of plant resources, the former earns foreign exchange of over Rs 22,000 crores annually through cultivation and value-addition of medicinal and aromatic plants (Maps) while our country's earnings are a mere Rs 500 crores," Nandan's director, B Jayakumar, told a press conference.
He said India has immense potential in Maps production, which could be tapped through concerted effort.
"With the strengths of agro climatic conditions and abundant knowledge of traditional system of medicines, we can compete well in the global herbal market," Jayakumar said.
Nandan Agro Farms had successfully tried high-profitable cultivation of 'safed musli' (chlorophytum borivilianum), a small tuberous herb that served present day health problems. "Given the growing global demand for such herbs, particularly in the USA and Japan, it was quite regrettable that we were not in a position to meet the export requirements."
Nandan has identified potential herbal solutions to a number of ailments that arise from urban lifestle, Jayakumar said.
" For stress 'aswagandha', 'tinospora cordifolia' for immunomodulation, 'garcinia indica' for obesity and 'chlorophytum borivilianum' for impotency were some of the herbs identified for cultivation by the company, he said.
The company has set up a research and resource centre for medicinal plants at Zaheerabad to promote cultivation of these medicinal plants.
The national medicinal plant board has identified 32 herbs for exports; Nandan, in coordination with Herbz India, is promoting their cultivation in rural areas of Chandigarh, Madurai, Cuttack and Gujarat besides Andhra Pradesh. Bureau Report