SRINAGAR: Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department (APD), Atal Dulloo today chaired a meeting at Civil Secretariat here to review the strategy and mechanism for developing and cultivation of Medicinal plants across Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by Secretary in APD, Shabnam Kamili; Director Agriculture Jammu/Kashmir, Director Ayush J&K, other senior officers of the department both in person and through video conferencing.
During the meeting, threadbare discussions were held on the role of medicinal plants that are being available in JK and its strategy to cultivate these plants with a commercial point of view.
While deliberating on several aspects of medicinal plants sector, Atal Dulloo impressed upon the officers to devise a prolonged strategy for commercialization of Medicinal plants as they can contribute significantly in development of rural economy. He asked them to chalk out a detailed project and include segments like establishment of Tissue culture labs, Area Expansion, marketing support as well as feasibility for Skill development of farmers.
He said that every stakeholder in this process needs to be actively playing its role and contribute efforts in developing the medicinal plant sector in the UT while assuring the officers that all the requisite support for the purpose would be provided by the government.
ACS also said that the development of medicinal plants sector in JK has a great scope for providing employment to the people as there is a huge and ever increasing market for medicinal and aromatic plants and their preparations in the country.
Atal Dulloo further advised the officers to maintain coordination and synergy with all line departments to promote this sector as an industry across J&K. He asked the concerned to identify different challenges so as to cultivate medicinal plants more profitably and scientifically.
On the occasion, Director Ayush J&K submitted a brief strategy paper for promotion of Medicinal Plants in J&K. He informed the meeting that three nurseries of Medicinal Plants are being developed at Gurez Bandipora, Bhaderwah Doda and Tapyal Samba.
During the meeting, Nodal officer J&K medicinal Plants Board provided brief details on the action plan for promoting medicinal plants in J&K.
Director Agriculture Jammu and Director Agriculture Kashmir informed the ACS that the APD is already propagating some high commercial medicinal plants in Jammu and Kashmir.