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Tamil Nadu
New venture: Officials from MYRADA, an NGO, and Indian Leaf Tobacco Development Division of ITC, taking a look at a field of rosemary in Kadambur Hills on Wednesday. — KADAMBUR HILLS: In a few days from now, the Indian Leaf Tobacco Development Division of ITC will enter into an agreement to buy rosemary. The tobacco major will ink the agreement with Chandana Thendral Community Managed Resource Centre (CMRC), a representative body of self help groups (SHGs), to buy the aromatic plant. The company will buy rosemary grown on over 30 acres of land, which will be about 180 tonnes a year. BenefitThe agreement will benefit around 45 farmers, says P. Alagesan, project director of MYRADA, an NGO, which facilitates the agreement. The agreement will provide the rosemary farmers between Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 30,000 an acre a year if the cultivation is on dry land and around Rs. 50,000 if it is on irrigated land. Mr. Alagesan says they facilitated the agreement to introduce new crops in the hills as part of crop diversification programme and also provide market for the new crop. Rosemary, an aromatic plant, is used in cosmetic and food processing industry, besides others. The other plants the NGO introduced are citronella and patchouli. The agreement the NGO facilitates is something like this. ITC will buy the plant but not from farmers. It will be from the CMRC, which will have agreements with rosemary farmers. The CMRC, to ensure a good market, will keep tab on market prices of rosemary. When the price goes down, farmers will still get a good price, as the agreement ensures a minimum support price. The agreement will be for three years, subject to annual renewal. The CMRC will also do more. With help from banks, it will arrange for loans to farmers and facilitate repayment as well. It will also channelise funds from Government departments to install drip irrigation on farmers’ lands, etc. MYRADA for its part will provide technical support like giving tips to farmers on crop maintenance, pest management, etc. Rosemary gives yield for a period of about five years. The yield starts six months after plantation and harvest continues every quarter thereafter. The leaf that is collected will be dried, packed and sold. In drying and packing the leaves, the CMRC will get help from women SHGs, who will be paid based on the tonnage they dry and pack. Mr. Alagesan says it is to generate employment in the hills. MYRADA has facilitated similar marketing arrangements in Thalavady and Bargur hills.
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