Even as the state government of Uttaranchal and the Union Ministry of Commerce are hard selling the concept of "Agro Export Zones" in seven districts of the state to promote medicinal plant cultivation, there is a parallel movement in Uttaranchal which raises doubts over the selection of the "medicinal plant species" made by the government agencies to be propagated in the state in a large scale.

While the government is intending to cultivate, harvest and export 10 high value medicinal and aromatic plant species in areas notified as Agri Export Zones recently, the co-operative movement led by Vaidya Balendu Prakash, a former Drugs Technical Advisory Board (Ayurveda) chairman and a leading Dehradun based Ayurvedic practitioner and researcher, exposes the haphazard manner in which the agencies have identified the "species list".

The VCP Cancer Research Foundation (VCPCRF) of Vaidya Prakash has organized a model survey and come out with a list of 26 native species of which 15 were found to be viable for commercial cultivation. The VCPCRF is also ready with the monographs of four of these herbs and complains the government had not looked into the need for promoting environment friendly, native species while selecting the plant species to be propagated in agro zones.

The four herbs for which monographs are ready with the foundation are Konch (Mucuna prunieus), Chitrak (Plumbago zeylanica), Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis) and Brahmi (Centella asiatica). The rest of the commercially viable species, as suggested by VCPCRF are Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Sarpagandha (Rauwolfia serpentina), Lata Kastoori (Abelmoschus maschatus), Kalihari (Gloriosa superba), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Bel (Aegla mermelos), Ratanjot (Onosma echioides), Harar (Terminalia chebula), Palash (Butea monosperma), Akarkara (Analyclus pyrethnum) and Bidarikand (Pueraria tuberosa).

On the other hand, the list of species identified by the government are Chitra, Jata, Mansi, Kuth Kutki, Tagar, Van Kakdi, Lavender, Aconite, Kalihari and Sarpgandha. The government is to offer fiscal incentives like excuse duty exemption, income tax holiday and capital investment subsidy to potential investors who can promote the plantation, harvest, value addition, exports of these medicinal and aromatic plant species.

According to the VCPCRF chairman, medicinal herbs used for Ayurvedic preparations are more effective when they are procured from their natural habitats. For the same reason, he opposes any move for wide spread cultivation of select few "high valued species". "Even in Uttaranchal, the species of plants growing in different regions are different. The government should initiate proper survey in all these regions, identify the local species, evaluate their medicinal value and commercial viability and finally have region specific nurseries that can distribute the seeds or saplings of such species that have always been there. The incentives should be given to the co-operatives for propagating such plants and not just a select few common plants," he opines.

Vaidya Prakash wants the government to adopt a model that they had been following for the last two years in a limited area. "The cooperative initiative we have begun can be an eye-opener to the state governments. We surveyed just 6 acres of forestland to find out the common species that are available in the region. The survey revealed that 25-30 species, which have medicinal value, are naturally grown there. 11 species were found to be commercially viable if propagated in a large scale. So we are encouraging farmers to grow them in nearby areas. Our experiment has been extremely successful. We are also able to organize annual Mandis (buyer-seller meets) and thereby ensure better price for the medicinal plant produce," he explained.

The four herbs for which VCPCRF prepared the monographs are giving average revenue of Rs 6000 per biga (one-fifth of an acre) for the farmer. "These four species have already been picked up by the farmers and they are being cultivated in 27 bigas in the nearby areas. Most of these species, if tissue cultured, would prove a costly option for farmers. We should be able to supply the saplings or the seeds free of cost to the farmer. We have developed a nursery in two acres of land at Raipur, some 20 kms away from Dehradun. Saplings are distributed free of cost to the farmer. In Raipur, 28 farmers are actively involved with this experiment for the last two years. 10 acres of land comes under cultivation and twice the harvesting mela went off with admirable success," he said.

The farmers were also equally enthusiastic. They had sold 1415 kg worth Rs 28,000 of raw herbs in April last year. According to them, it was the forest officials who were the first to create problems for the buyer-seller meet. "When we organized the mela for the first time, the officials took objections to it saying that the sale of "forest produce' is not allowed. It took some time for the organizers to convince the officials of the source of the medicinal herbs. But since then, local government officials are also part of the annual mela.

"Uttaranchal is planning to declare itself as a herbal state. I feel the right option for the state would be to develop a model where native plants are promoted. It should have a database of its own plants. It should be like what Himachal did for apple. Nurseries should be developed at the block level in all parts of the state. Earlier they were thinking of a centralized nursery. But how can it be possible? The government should identify different zones according to the nature of the plants that are naturally present in those locations. Monographs should be prepared, and according to the commercial viability of a herb, zonal nurseries should try to propogate those species that are best suited to that region. We would ask the government to adopt the Raipur model across the state," says Vaidya Prakash.

He felt that the state needed realty based, evidence based co-operative farming if the farmers are to be really benefited. "Classical production is going low, herbals are going for the manufacture of cosmetics. Any medicinal plant that gives more than Rs.400 per biga should be considered as an ideal model. Government should set up mandis for local procurement. Every year we organize a buyer-seller meet where farmers can directly sell their products to the buyers. We want the government to popularize and strengthen such movements," he adds.

Meanwhile the Centre, in association with the state government is working out various incentive schemes for promoting medicinal herb plantations. The new initiatives are to provide the required incentives as well as an enabling environment for industrial development, improve availability of capital and increase market access to provide a fillip to the private investment in the state.

The new industrial policy chalked out by the government offers 100% outright excise duty exemption for a period of 10 years from the date of commencement of commercial production for all new industrial ventures in the area. It has also announced 100% income tax exemption for initial period of five years and thereafter 30% for companies and 25% for other than companies for a further period of five years from the date of commencement of commercial production.