THE IMPORTANCE of medicinal plants in pharmaceutical industry has been proved beyond any doubt. A large number of medicines prescribed even by allopath doctors are those with medicinal plant or herbal contents, such as asvagandha, arjuna, amalki, triphala, neem, lasuna, brahmi, etc and include formulations such as rumalaya cream, shankhapushpi syrup and so on.
This has aroused large interest amongst entrepreneurs to opt for cultivation of medicinal plants for commercial purposes. In various districts of Uttar Pradesh, farming of medicinal plants has emerged as a profit-making business venture. Lured by the huge profit margins and availability of institutional finance, a number of landowners and farmers are now turning to such plants instead of growing seasonal crops. People who are not traditional farmers have also joined the fray.
A discussion with many such entrepreneurs revealed that knowledge of such plants and a strong commitment are the basic requirements for this venture. Before starting this, business selection of profitable medicinal plants is very important. According to S Subedar, a well known cultivator at Bithoor near Kanpur city, such plants include ashwagandha or asgandh, sarpagandha, satawar, artemissia, ghrit kumari or guar ka patha, madhu yasthi or mulethi, madhupatra or stevia, khas, lemon grass and rose. These plants, their parts or derivatives are much in demand by various agencies.
At present, all the plants mentioned above are being successfully grown in Kanpur, Kannauj, Unnao, Barabanki, Moradabad, Chandausi, Bareilly, Badaun, Sitapur, Sultanpur and Faizabad under favourable conditions. Many people from these areas have been attracted towards this business in view of the continuous and huge demand of these crops. Incidentally, many brokers have also come up in this trade acting as a bridge between producers and end-users - that is the companies making the medicinal formulations. These brokers are also actively engaged in procuring raw materials from the farmers and cultivator entrepreneurs.
The Lucknow-based Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic plants (CIMAP) and various agricultural universities have started organising awareness camps among the farmers on cultivation of medicinal and aromatic crops through training and demonstration programmes conducted from time to time. They organise programmes to train the interested people in short duration and charge a small fee. Successful cultivators like Subedar are also providing information to those who are interested.
Farmers of long standing are considering it as a profitable alternative to the traditional crops due to various reasons. In a short duration, they could achieve better results. Single crop provides two to three cuttings in a year. Initial investment is low as compared to the final outcome. Huge demand is already in the market. To begin with, not very big farms are required for such cultivation, but care and proper irrigation are a must.
The cultivators must know every minute detail related to it, such as about the favourable time period for the plant, amount of water requirement, numbers of cuttings and about the pharmaceutical companies interested in their crops. The basic needs for the cultivation are easily available and this is encouraging farmers to grow medicinal plants.
For the traditional farmers, the initial funds for this business could be available through the Kisan credit card. Others can obtain the capital from the banks.
For the traditional farmers, the initial funds for this business could be available through the Kisan credit card. Others can obtain the capital from the banks.The land is also easily available on the lease. The primary stock is available in the market at a reasonable rate. Agricultural universities are also helping by providing the stocks as well as technical information to the needy people. It is observed that there is a growing interest amongst the farmers who visit Kisan melas organised from time to time at the Kanpur-based Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology (CSAUAT). Similar activities are going on at agricultural universities like Narendra Deo University of Agriculture and Technology in Faizabad, the Pantnagar Univerity and other institutions.
It is interesting that people with non-agricultural background are also getting attracted towards this field. Those who are not traditional farmers also feel that this is a good business idea. One positive thing is that people from any educational background can cultivate these plants, no specific educational background is required. The only requirement is, the person’s determination and interest in cultivation.
