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IACR-IHBT Initiative
for Research on Sustainable Plant Products
Basis for the Partnership
Growing of high value medicinal and aromatic plants has long been
recognized as a potential way to enhance the income of resource poor
farmers cultivating small patches of land in the mid-mountainous
regions of the Himalayas. For a long time the supply of plants/plant
products for industry, both national and international, was
maintained from the natural forests that spread all across the
Himalayas. However, as demands have grown the supply from the
forests has been nearly exhausted due to over exploitation. There is
an urgent need to adopt strategies and measures to discourage
collection from the wild and promote the cultivation of plant
material by local farmers.
Although the situation appears quite favourable for taking up
cultivation of high value aromatic and medicinal plants in the
region, there are several constraints which must be overcome if the
'potential' of the region is to be harnessed for the benefit of the
community. The constraints operate at several levels.
Farm Individual farmers are constrained by their limited
capacity to invest when faced with the risks of growing crops which
have uncertain markets. Further the farmers have little or no access
to high quality planting materials and regular advice on cultivation
and processing technologies i.e. sound scientific backing for their
non-traditional venture.
Women Farmers in the Himachal
Pradesh
Marketing - Products have traditionally been marketed through
several intermediaries between the primary producer and the end
user, but there is little or no independent verification of quality
and little or no responsibility to purchaser other than the
immediate supplier. This results in unreliable supply line both in
terms of quality and quantity of the products. 
Disused Distillation Unit in the Himachal
Pradesh
International - there is an increasing concern for full
traceability and scientific monitoring at all stages of production.
This requires all aspects of crop management and subsequent
processing to be documented and be in conformity with
environmentally sound practices.
There is a need to bring together all the interested parties and
potential partners (farmers, commercial sector, scientists,
community-based NGO's) on a common platform, to be able to conceive,
develop and put in place mechanisms and arrangements necessary to
acheive sustainable production and marketing of high value
plants/plant products our goals in order to improve the livelihoods
of the local farming communities.
The Way Forward 
Institute of Himalayan Bioresource
Technology
The Institute
of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, based at Palampur in
the Himachal Pradesh, conducts basic and applied research on
economic plants and has major R&D programmes in the fields of
biotechnology and natural plant products. During the past 6 months,
IACR and IHBT have been discussing ways in which we might work more
closely together in the area of plant products, where there is much
complementary expertise. Plans are ongoing to establish a joint
research initiative. In addition discussions are ongoing with Biosys
Ltd as the commercial arm, to take advantage of their experience in
establishing community-based plant product industries.
In November 1999 the great potential for collaboration between
IACR and IHBT was recognised by the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding in Delhi. Bosys was also a signatory to this catalyst
for partnership. The formal proceedings were overseen by Dr R.A.
Mashelkar, Director General of the Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research and other important political and scientific
participants.
A workshop involving all stakeholders for the project will
take place in June. This will confirm the strategy for a pilot
project to establish a sustainable medicinal/aromatic plant product
industry in the Himachal Pradesh. It will also allow a process to be
established for enhancing linkages between all relevant stakeholders
as means to ensuring that they work together and are
responsive. 
Dr P.S. Ahuja, Director of IHBT
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