JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government is to lay emphasis on marketing, value addition, conservation and maintenance of quality of medicinal and aromatic plants in a bid to connect more farmers with the cultivation of these crops.

Agriculture Minister Prabhulal Saini, addressing a review meeting of the State Medicinal Plants Board here, said the farmers could be involved in the drive for promoting the use of medicinal and aromatic plants if a proper arrangement for their marketing was evolved.

Mr. Saini said a meeting of buyers and traders of herbs would be convened shortly to get their feedback for improvement in production and marketing of medicinal plants.

He pointed out that contract farming launched in the State could be utilised for growing herbs and added that the areas of their production could be identified and farmers given training.

The Minister said though the Board, established in 2000, had so far identified as many as 800 types of medicinal plants, it could not connect farmers with their cultivation.

He said the scope for farming of herbs was relatively more in 17 districts of the State, where subsidy would be provided to farmers.

A decision was taken in the meeting to refer to the State Government the issue of uniformity in the value added tax (VAT) on Ashwagandha with the observation that the buyers from other States were not expressing interest in the herb due to 12.5 per cent VAT. Mr. Saini said the major Ayurveda product manufacturers, such as Himalaya Drugs, Baidnath and Dabur, would be invited to the buyers' meeting.

Among others, Agriculture Secretary Parvindar Singh, Board's Secretary Dipak Bhatnagar, Administrator of the State Agricultural Marketing Board, Vipin Chandra Sharma, and Director of Agriculture Department, Manjor Kumar, attended the meeting.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail