The Hindu : Drug firm, tribals join hands to preserve medicinal plants

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 09, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Drug firm, tribals join hands to preserve medicinal plants

By T. Nandakumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM MARCH 8. The tribal communities in the fringe forests of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts have entered into a commercial partnership with industry, under a World Bank- funded project aimed at conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants. The participatory project covering nine adivasi settlements seeks to revitalize local health traditions and promote sustainable exploitation of forest resources.

The two tribal communities in the region have firmed up a long- term agreement with a local Ayurvedic drug manufacturer for supply of medicinal plants. They have set up two self- help cooperatives for commercial cultivation and marketing.

Core groups have been constituted in eight Kani tribal settlements located within the Kottoor reserve forest and one Malampandaram colony in the Achenkovil range. The programme is being implemented by the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute under the Kerala Forestry project. TBGRI scientists visit the settlements and conduct training classes in propagation of local varieties of medicinal and aromatic plants.

The Institute Director, G. M. Nair, said the commercial partnership between tribals and industry would ensure the conservation and sustainable utilisation of rare and endangered species. He said the pilot project would revitalise local health traditions and integrate them into the primary health care system.

Women who play an important role in the grassroots project are imparted the technique of preparing herbal concoctions, oils and tablets from locally available medicinal plants. The tribal families selected for the programme maintain home gardens for medicinal plants named `panchoushadhi vatika'. They are trained to identify and propagate rare species of medicinal and aromatic plants. The tribals are also instructed in the technique of extracting essential oils.

Says Anitha, a Malampandaram tribal who represents the Adivasi Vana Samrakshana Samithy, ``The residents in our colony have stopped rushing to hospital for minor ailments. It has saved us a lot of money. Every house stocks traditional home remedies for common ailments like fever, cold, indigestion and bruises. More families are coming forward to join the project''.

The five- year buy back arrangement with the Pankajakasturi group has been designed as a mutually beneficial scheme under which the industrial partner is ensured a regular supply of raw material while the tribalfolk are assured of a steady income. A collection mechanism has been worked out with the help of the two self- help societies.

``We see this as a new approach which will help to reverse the history of exploitation of tribal communities. In the past, the Government used to hand out project funds which were often misused. The participatory nature and the income generating potential will help to sustain this programme'', says Manikantan, a Kani tribal.

The Managing Director of the Pankajakasturi group, J. Hareendran Nair, said the collaboration would kindle the entrepreneurial spirit among the tribal folk. The MoU for supply of six medicinal plants will be expanded to cover 500 species over a period of three years. On March 5, Mr. Nair received the first supply of medicinal plants and handed over a cheque for Rs. 2,000 to the Kani self- help society.

The project coordinator, S. Rajaseharan, said the beneficiary stakeholder concept had been adopted to ensure sustainability of the project. He said the revival of traditional home remedies would make the tribal folk self- sufficient in primary health care.

The project also aims to map the health and socio- economic conditions in the tribal settlements and prepare a plant biodiversity register. Development of value- added herbal products, training in post harvest technology and installation of essential oil extraction units will also be taken up under the programme.

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