Kottackal Arya Vaidya Sala (KAVS), an emerging ayurvedic medicine manufacturing unit in Kerala, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Rubber Producers Societies for the cultivation of medicinal plants through a buy-back facility.
In rubber plantations, intercropping of medicinal plants has gained popularity with numerous emerging ayurvedic medicine manufacturing companies are coming forward to take up the initiatives by supplying necessary planting materials.
Director of Rubber Research Institute of India, M.D. Jessy said that many ayurvedic drug manufacturers have come for the cultivation of the medicinal plants in plantations, but the Rubber Board advised to take up the project only with a buy-back facility. The major deterrent for farmers in taking up medicinal plants cultivation in the absence of an assured market for medicinal plants unlike that of food crops.
Jessy said, “We’ve just initiated the project on a limited scale with KAVS, which will suggest the list of plants, supply materials, and strictly monitor the farming”. The main purpose of the Board is to improve the lives of rubber farmers economically and also ensure a regular supply of medicinal plants to the ayurvedic industry.
Endangered Medicinal Plants:
Rubber, having a longer gestation period of about 7-8 years when there’s no income from the plantations. Adequate land and light both are available in rubber plantations during the initial 3- 4 years for the cultivation of annual or short-term crops like vegetables, fruit crops, medicinal plants, spices, and ornamental plants, which will not only fetch good income but also improve livelihood security of growers.
Rubber Research Institute of India has also started a program to produce quality planting materials of endangered medicinal plants by biotechnological techniques for intercropping in rubber plantations.
She highlighted that there’s a rising demand for medicinal plants and the unavailability of quality raw materials is a major barrier to the development & growth of the ayurvedic industry. Numerous medicinal plants thrive under wild conditions in forests and their non-judicious exploitation has resulted in their unavailability.
As land is scarce in Kerala for exclusive cultivation of medicinal plants and only effective utilization of land by crop diversification is the only feasible way to enhance the production of medicinal plants, she further said.
The medicinal plantation’s cultivation as inter-cropping would be ideal for shrubs and not for plants. Right now, the need of the hour is to enter into a business set-up with farmers, Rubber Board, and medicine manufacturers for the greater advantages of all the stakeholders, she added.
Rubber Research Institute of India has done numerous tests to evaluate the performance of medicinal plants in mature rubber plantations. There is some light requiring medicinal plants like kattarvazha (Aloe Vera), Thechi (Ixora Coccinea), Moovila (Pserdarthis Viscida), Orila (Desmodium Gangeticum), Neela Amari can be grown with rubber, she added.
