SHILLONG: A one-day workshop was conducted for the ‘Farmers and Herbal Practitioners’ of the district on February 4 under the “National Mission on Medicinal Plants” by the office of the Divisional Forest Officer, Ri-Bhoi Social Forestry Division (Nodal Officer).
Around 45 farmers and local herbal practitioners from villages of Marngar, Borkhatsari, Mawlyngai, Mawlyngkhung, Nongjri, Umsning, Sumer, Umpohwin, Mawtneng, Mawlasnai, Umshympang, Umktiehetc attended the workshop conducted at SIRD Campus.
Under the National Mission on Medicinal Plants, farmers will be given financial subsidy and technical assistance from Meghalaya State Medicinal Plants Board through nodal officers, for raising medicinal plantation in their fields. For a local herbal practitioner financial assistance will be given for raising a herbal garden where many plants of medicinal value will be grown.
The workshop was presided over by SK Budnah, DFO as the chairman who spoke about the need to encourage farmers/herbal practitioner to plant medicinal plants.
Resources persons Dr Puran Chandra , Scientist(Forestry) and Dr Rajesh Kumar, Senior Scientist, from ICAR spoke on the topic “cultivation, harvesting and processing technique” of important medicinal plants like Azadirachtaindica , Acoruscalamus, Aeglemarmelos, Terminaliaindica and Terminaliachebula.
A.K. Srivastava, Chief Executive Officer of Meghalaya State Medicinal Plants Board interacted with these farmers and herbal practitioners regarding various issues related with medicinal plants and encouraged them to come forward to avail the benefits of various schemes related to medicinal plants.
Dr Ksanbok Makdoh, Asst. Professor of Lady Keane College spoke on the importance of protection and conservation of important medicinal plants of Meghalaya. He informed the gathering that most of the medicinal plants they collect from forests are now on the verge of extinction and it is high time to take steps in order to protect and conserve them. The participants were then taken for a field visit to a ‘herbal garden’ where many important medicinal plants were showcased.
