Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir government is pushing major reforms in the medicinal and aromatic plants sector, with Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Saturday calling for a scientifically-driven and commercially-viable strategy to unlock its vast economic and livelihood potential.
The administration is also planning suitable amendments to the J&K Minor Forest Produce Policy-2022 to boost farmer participation, strengthen the research and development (R-D) infrastructure, and improve market linkages, an official press release said.
Dulloo chaired a joint meeting of the forest and agriculture production departments and the CSIR-Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) Jammu to finalise a roadmap for commercial cultivation, conservation and large-scale promotion of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs).
He said J&K currently earns only Rs 12 crore annually from the MAP sector, far below its national and global potential, and stressed the need for coordinated efforts among key departments and research institutions.
He directed the Forest department to focus on propagation of planting material, farmer training and development of viable cultivation models, while the Agriculture Production department was asked to identify commercially-viable species from the region’s 1,100 MAP varieties, undertake agro-climatic zonation and strengthen extension and value-addition efforts.
The CSIR-IIIM and the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) were tasked with providing technical expertise, technology transfer and developing germplasm banks and centres of excellence, the official said.
CSIR-IIIM Director Zabeer Ahmad highlighted the phytopharmaceutical and nutraceutical value of J&K’s MAP species, and said the institute aims to position the UT as a leading hub for a MAP-driven bio-economy.
He noted that the global MAP market is projected to surpass USD 650 billion by 2030, offering vast opportunities for J&K.
The proposed strategy includes land zonation using degraded forest patches and marginal land, and creation of aroma and phyto-pharma clusters across Jammu, Kashmir and the Chenab Valley, he said.
Sandeep Kumar, Managing Director, Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), said 28 MAP clusters involving nearly 1,400 farmers have been established, while more than 5,300 farmers have been trained over the past two years.
The meeting also reviewed high-demand MAP species suitable for J-K, with market prices ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 1 lakh per kg, the official said.
