In a bid to promote commercial cultivation of medicinal plants, over 50,000 saplings of several varieties of therapeutic plants, which had been carefully raised since over several weeks at the nursery maintained by the Mysuru-based Government Ayurveda Medical College, have been kept ready for distribution during Dasara.
The saplings, including at least 20,000 tree species, had been cultivated at Chandra Vana near Kukkarahalli Lake here.
This is perhaps for the first time in recent years that plants had been raised in such huge numbers for the promotion of commercial cultivation of medicinal plants.
Thanks to the Department of AYUSH, farmers from Mysuru and neighbouring districts can obtain unlimited number of saplings for free, if they produce copies of land records to the authorities.
“We spend about Rs. 25 for raising each sapling, but we are distributing each plant at Rs. 10 so that they are not wasted. But, farmers will get them for free,” said Satyanarayana Bhat, Principal, Government Ayurveda Medical College, Mysuru.
Speaking to The Hindu , Dr. Bhat, who is also the member of Karnataka Medicinal Plants’ Authority, said saplings would be distributed from October 14 onwards, when the city is hosting the festivities.
The saplings can either be used for commercial cultivation or can be planted in gardens for home remedies by the locals, Dr. Bhat said.
“These plants have a lot of therapeutic value. If they are grown in our garden or neighbourhood, it will be useful for finding remedies to some ailments,” he explained.
Some institutions too have come forward to procure the saplings and plant them on their campuses, the college principal said.
Moolika Dasara
Meanwhile, the Government Ayurveda Medical College, the Department of Horticulture and the Karnataka State Medicinal Plants’ Authority have organised a farmers’ meet as part of Moolika Dasara which begins here on October 10.
Deputy Commissioner C. Shikha will inaugurate the event at Chandra Vana. Importantly, farmers and the manufacturers of Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani drugs will be brought on a common platform to ensure market linkage for promoting commercial cultivation.
Many valuable medicinal plants are used in the preparation of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani drugs.
