India: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in consonance with Herbal Research and Development Institute (HRDI) Mandal – Gopeshwar, District – Chamoli, Uttarakhand started a three day workshop from 21st February to 23rd February 2011, to enable farmers in the field of culinary, medicinal and aromatic herbs on farming, plantation and marketing techniques – especially on ‘Tej Patta’ or Bayleaf a local spice of the region.

The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. R C Sundriyal (Director, HRDI), Mr. Amit Kumar (Director, TERI), Mr. Sandeep Agrawal (G.M, Graffiti Foods) and Ms. Navneet Kaur (Sr. Vice President – D.S. Group). Over 100 farmers attended the workshop, along with policy makers, government officials and corporates from across India.

In his inaugural address Dr. R C Sundriyal (Director, HRDI) thanked TERI for organizing this three-day meet which will be immensely beneficial for farmers in the region. He said that, “The workshop has arranged to bring together progressive farmers from Uttarakhand to familiarize them with the work done by research institutes involved with Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) and to enable their interaction with industry. There is a need to move forward from a ‘static to a dynamic mindset’ if farmers of Uttakhand have to progress.”

“If we have to become prosperous, we need not only cultivate medicinal and aromatic plants, but also convert them into useful value-added products with the help of scientific knowledge that is being provided by institutes like TERI, and only then can we move towards being prosperous,” he added.

Mr. Amit Kumar – Director, TERI, in his address said that “TERI is continuously involved in developing and undertaking initiatives that are aimed towards helping the local farmers/growers in diversification of agricultural crops and to develop village based micro enterprises capability for improving their economic conditions. This workshop will not only infuse confidence among the local farmers to undertake cultivation of Tej Patta on commercial basis but will surely result in an additional source of revenue for the local farmers in the long run.”

Mr. Sandeep Agrawal (G.M, Graffiti Foods) and Ms. Navneet Kaur (Sr. Vice President – D.S. Group) urged the audience to keep affordability in mind while moving towards this direction. They stressed that while developing new products, one needs to keep in mind that products that are developed are not out of reach of the common man. If they are, it will not serve the purpose of marketing and moving the farmer towards prosperity. They urged institutes like TERI and also the government bodies involved in the R&D to work on technologies that would be able to help make products affordable, at the same time sustainable.

The Three day workshop will look into the present scenario of Tejpatta and related cultivation in the area and climate in Uttarakhand. Capacity training will be on nursery raising and plantation techniques of Tej Patta and aspects of commercial cultivation and quality adherences and protocols will be discussed. The farmers and visiting corporate and government officials would also be taken to TRISHA, TERI’s research hub at Mukhteshwer, to showcase TERI’s role in sustainable agricultural practices in Uttarakhand.

TERI under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Government of Uttarakhand has, under its sustainable development initiatives, established TRISHA (TERI’s Research Initiative at Supi for Himalayan Advancement) that undertakes R&D largely to improve quality and quantity of agricultural produce for the farmers of the region.

The agro climatic conditions of Uttarakhand are well suited for cultivation of most herbs. Water requirement for cultivation of these herbs is very low leading to luxuriant growth even in dry seasons. The minimal water requirement for the herbs is met through rain-water harvesting scheme. TERI is actively working on establishing backward as well as forward linkages for these herbs at Supi. TERI is growing more than 60 different varieties of fresh and dry exotic vegetables, fruits and herbs like Broccoli, Pockchoy, Kiwi, Plum, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano and Peppermint which provides immediate return to the farmers. To ensure the supply of the products during off- season TERI has set up polyhouses on a large scale to maintain the supply chain management. TERI provides support to farmers not only in procuring the initial planting material but also in the form of information related to best farm practices in growing these herbs and arranges for capacity building among these farmers. These initiatives are aimed towards helping the local farmers/growers in diversification of agricultural crops and to develop village based micro enterprises capability for improving their economic conditions.