Some of the top business houses like Reliance, Nirma, Venkateshwara Group, Ramco and pharma company Cipla are entering into commercial cultivation of Safed Musli, an endangered medicinal plant on a big scale. The Gujarat State Forest Development Corporation (GSFDC), which has earmarked 1,400 hectares of forest area, has also stepped into its cultivation of this medicinal plant in a large scale.

While GSFDC has already started the pilot farming last year with 60 acres of land, Reliance has just started cultivation in five acres at its Jamnagar Herbal Garden. The pharma major Cipla, which has acquired 10 acres in the outskirts of Ahmedabad for Safed Musli cultivation, is all set to begin the plantation. The other corporate majors which are looking at this herbal farming in a major way includes Ahmedabad-based Nirma Group, the Chennai-based Ramco Group and the Pune-Based Venketeswara Hatcheries.

Safed Musli, one of the 20 odd indigenous species with extensive use in many traditional systems of medicine in South Asia has been declared as an endangered species. The plant, celebrated as 'Divya Aushadi' in Ayurveda, is a restorative and health-giving tonic, which is presently one of the few medicinal species witnessing steadily growing use in pharmaceutical, phyto-pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.

At present, the Hyderabad-based Nandan Agro Farms has the largest area of Safed Musli cultivation under its hold. The company has 50 acres of own farming and another 400 acres with its associate farmers all across the country dedicated for the cultivation of Safed Musli.

Nandan Agro, which pioneered the commercial cultivation of Safed Musli in India along with an agricultural consultancy firm based in Hyderabad, has been successfully working on medicinal plants since 1996. Focusing on the vast potential, Nandan Agro has identified about 200 herbs, which are economically viable for Indian agro-conditions. After a meticulous research in the field cultivation, processing, product manufacture and trading and exports, the company has come out with a high profile processing technology, harvesting methods, tissue culture and superior selected varieties. It has already implemented its various resources in a 200 acres land at Zaheerabad in Andhra Pradesh. The company is also planning to take up the processing of the medicinal extract of Safed Musli and come out with formulation in the pharmaceutical market soon. With this, the company expects to increase its cultivation from the present 450 acres of land to 2000 acres.

Botanically called as Chlorophytum borivillianum, Safed Musli is a native Indian plant with peerless healing and health giving properties. Currently, the plant ranks sixth among the 28 selected priority herbs with an annual demand of around 35000 tones for the industry use. However, the supply of the plant, which was hitherto sourced mainly from the forest, is only 5000 tonnes now. Since the plant species has been declared endangered in the year 2000 by the government, the medicine manufacturers are dependent fully on the supply from commercial farms.

According to industry sources, there are around 200 drug and nutraceutical formulations with Safed Musli as the main ingredient currently made in India. Of late, the cultivation of this medicinal plant, which has immense export market demand as well, has been actively encouraged by the government of India through the Medicinal Plant Board. Currently, the commercial cultivation of this plant in India is 800 acres, which is expected to grow more than threefold by the end of 2003.

According to B Jayakumar, director, Nandan Agro Farms, Safed Musli holds an immense promise as a new agricultural initiative and excellent business opportunity through its various value added products. "As an agro consultant, we wanted to promote the latest agricultural opportunities with farming know-how and promote best cultivation practices for the farming community to achieve maximum efficiency, production potential and optimal returns on their investment. The services offered by the Company start with land selection and completes with marketing of the end produce. There will be periodical visits by the agricultural officer and the total technology for cultivation to harvesting is provided to the farmer," he added.

The dry root of Safed Musli currently fetches Rs 1500 to 1800 per kg n the Indian market and the wet root as seed will cost the farmer between Rs 300 to Rs 400 per kg at the prevailing rate.