Youth must venture in this sector to earn livelihood: Expert

SRINAGAR: To generate awareness among the youth about the potential of venturing into scientific growing of medicinal plants aimed at employment generation, the Faculty of Forestry SKUAST -Kashmir Benhama Ganderbal is organising a month long skill enhancement programme, starting first week of March.
The course director at the Faculty of Forestry Professor S A Gangoo at the Faculty told Kashmir Reader that cultivation of medicinal plants would be a very profitable agribusiness, if adopted on scientific lines and it will not only reduce the burden on these ever declining plant species grown in the wild.
The sector has also the potential to feed the raw material demand of not only our well archived systems of medication prevalent since centuries, but the pharma and cosmetic sectors that depend on such produce.
He added that there is awareness among the forest dwellers about these medicinal and edible plants who are able to derive their livelihood from these products, but the sector is still unorganized.
Lamenting the fact , Gangoo said that those collecting these produce from our forests are not getting the desired price on their collections as the trade is unorganized and needs special attention from the authorities.
“We at the faculty are focussing on best utilisation of these products derived from our forests that include a significant percentage of medicinal plants, herbs that have been found to be be about six hundred growing in our agroclimatic,” hes aid adding that many of these have been researched and adopting good cultivation practices our youth could take up a venture for earning their livelihood.
The programme according to the officials will invite youth to be a part of a training that will be spanning for about a month, wherein they will be not only made aware of the benefits of herbs but growing them skillfully with live demonstration on nurturing and managing these plants.
The qualification for the interests youth needs only to be 10th pass with thay sending his applications to faculty by March 1.
The applications can also be mailed at [email protected], having details of address, aadhar, email and date of birth, along with qualification.

KR Desk