Kisan Mela - co-cultivate traditional, medicinal plants together: Minister
The minister was appreciating the efforts being made by CSIR-CIMAP towards the economic uplift of farmers by developing new varieties, value addition and processing facilities related to medicinal and aromatic plants.
“Medicinal and aromatic plants should be co-cultivated with traditional crops to enhance farmers’ income. This will make farmers self-reliant and the U.P. government will extend all assistance in making India self-reliant in food crops,” said Surya Pratap Shahi, cabinet minister, finance, agriculture, agricultural education and agricultural research on Tuesday.
He was appreciating the efforts being made by CSIR-CIMAP towards the economic uplift of farmers by developing new varieties, value addition and processing facilities related to medicinal and aromatic plants.
Shahi was speaking as a chief guest while inaugurating a Kisan Mela orgainsed by CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP) organised at its headquarters in Lucknow under CSIR’s ‘One Week One Laboratory’ programme.
On this occasion, Shahi planted a sandalwood plant and also inaugurated the stalls put up by eight CSIR laboratories along with Anil Kumar Yadav, director, Council of Science and Technology, UP and G N Singh, advisor, chief minister.
“The U.P. government has collaborated with CSIR laboratories to implement technologies developed for various districts under One District One Product scheme,” said GN Singh.
The main attraction of this Kisan Mela was market information of medicinal and aromatic plants, sale of advanced plant material and publications, display of drones and advanced varieties, live demonstration of distillation units.
In the Mela, 2,000 kg of planting material was provided to 3,000 farmers and industry representatives from different states of the country.
Kisan Mela souvenir book ‘Aus Gyanya’, UV protection herbal product CIM-Kayakawach, an agriculture technical handbook of alternative cultivation of mentha and QR code for information on advanced varieties developed by CIMAP were also released during the occasion.
