Natural Remedies has taken up cultivation of medicinal plants 3 years ago and with mutual understanding with farmers have provided support both technically (cultivation methods and planting material) and financially.

Like any other field, this also needs foresight, planning, technical know-how, persistence and lot of effort. Our search for genuine farmers continued and despite meeting farmers who went too keen due to their earlier bad experiences with other companies, we slowly built trust in stages. The farmers needed information on the method of cultivation, agro-economics, starting material sources, and sometimes even financial support. We have tried to fulfil these requirements. We have developed agro-economics by taking up trials in small scale and complied information.

Now, to encourage the cultivation of medicinal plants, the National Medicinal Plant Board is offering, subsidies to the farmer to take up cultivation. The board has certain conditions to provide assistance to the farmers, the major conditions are,

1. A buy back agreement has to be made between the farmer and the industry (buyer)

2. The project should be approved by a bank, i.e., it should be a bankable project.

This is a real boost to the field of cultivation of medicinal plants but when farmers approach banks for loan to cultivate medicinal plants, the banks are not in position to help as they have not been provided with directives from NABARD and are not aware of these projects, so they are in no position to provide finance or any certificate. This has become a major bottleneck at the moment.

We have approached NABARD for a solution, for which they have responded and have promised to provide the necessary directives and guidelines, which will be given to the banks in the near future. The need of the moment is the relaxation of the bank certificate conditions for subsidies so that this excellent scheme, which will be much help to the farmer, does not go in vain.

Though we have faced lot of obstacles in our way, we have been able to give this project a good shape now. We have about 150-200 acres under contract farming for few medicinal plants. We propose to expand to about 500 acres in this year.

We are of the opinion that if the industry jointly forecast their requirements of cultivable medicinal plants and get into larger scale of cultivation, it will be viable and beneficial to both the farmer and industry. As industry requires a large variety of medicinal plants, cultivation is viable only if it is in large volumes. In the changed scenario, up surging prices, lack of availability of good quality standard material, restriction from the forest department and in the wake of biodiversity act, it is the right time for the industry to come closer and work seriously for cultivation of medicinal plants in collective manner.

- The author is Chairman, Natural Remedies Private Limited