Surinder Sud: Herbal potential

FARM VIEW

A lot needs to done to tap the $62 billion world market

The international trade in herbal products has touched an estimated $62 billion and is growing annually by 15 per cent. India is one of the world's most important cradles of herbs, but its share in the global market is very small, especially compared with China's 33 per cent. In terms of value, the annual exports are just about Rs 300 crore.

The reasons for the low global penetration are several. Important among them being the existence of a huge and flourishing domestic market worth Rs 4,000 crore; lack of commercialisation of herb cultivation; paucity of organised channels of herbal trade; and over-exploitation of the wild sources of herbs. Moreover, the commercially viable technology for growing medicinal and other industrially important plants is largely missing.

Interestingly, the country's vast arid zone, not ideally suited for growing regular crops, is one of the richest native grounds of valuable herbs. But the information on these herbs was not properly catalogued for use by the trade or industry.

This lacuna has now been removed by the Jodhpur-based Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) by bringing out a well-researched publication on the medicinal plants in the Indian arid zone.

Indeed, this zone has about 628 species of valuable herbs. Of these, 116 have medicinal properties and are utilised in traditional medicinal systems such as ayurveda, unani, sidha and, to some extent, even allopathy.

But what is worrisome is that no more than 28 of these species are commercially grown for medical use. The rest are collected from the wilds, leading to fast depletion of this natural wealth. In fact, even the non-medicinal herbs and shrubs which have multiple commercial uses are not being grown on scientific lines.

The collection of vital, yet scientifically authentic, information on 108 of these important herbs took nearly 15 years of extensive work for the team of CAZRI experts, comprising institute director Pratap Narain, Suresh Kumar and Farzana Parveen.

The publication contains their scientific and local names, therapeutical properties and photographs for easy identification. It also gives agro-techniques for their cultivation and the likely economic returns.

This apart, the institute has come out with another publication on useful shrubs in the Indian arid zone. These hardy, multi-utility plants can prove money-spinners for local farmers if grown with the new techniques developed by scientists.

Besides, these can trigger the emergence of shrubs-based processing and product manufacturing industry. This publication, edited by Pratap Narain, Manjit Singh, M S Khan and Suresh Kumar, contains detailed information on shrubs such as senna, henna, aloe vera, guggul, seebuckthorn and several others.

In fact, induction of modern technology seems critical to save some of these shrubs from extinction. Guggul (Comiphora wightti ), a shrub of huge commercial value, is a case in point.

This plant, whose resin and other parts are used extensively by industries making incense, perfumes and several useful medicines, is now listed among the threatened species. At one stage, India was the main supplier of guggul products to the world. Today, the country's own requirement is met largely through imports from Pakistan.

The major reason for the decline of guggul is the flawed gum extraction practices that cause heavy mortality of the tapped plants. The CAZRI has developed a simple technology that can ensure plant survival and rejuvenation after resin extraction. This has paved the way for commercial cultivation of guggul.

The lack of organised marketing is another hurdle impeding the commercialisation of many useful shrubs. Senna (Cassia angustifolia), used extensively as a laxative, intestine worm killer, and for several other health problems, seems to be a victim of poor marketing infrastructure.

The farmers in Bikaner and elsewhere in this arid tract have begun growing this herb (called Sonamukhi in local language) thanks to the availability of new varieties and suitable agronomic practices. But in the absence of effective marketing support, their produce is now going abegging, fetching only around Rs 3 to 4 a kg (for dried leaves), against as much as Rs 20 a kg two year ago.

This is despite the emergence of a large number of senna processing factories around Sujat town in the Pali district. Thus, there is an urgent need to address such problems to use local herbs and shrubs as an instrument for economic development of the desert areas.