(L-R)Abhinav Shah (IAS)is the Director, and Dr Chandra Prakash Kuniyal is a scientist at the Herbal Research and Development Institute (HRDI) (L-R)Abhinav Shah (IAS)is the Director, and Dr Chandra Prakash Kuniyal is a scientist at the Herbal Research and Development Institute (HRDI) 
The state of Uttarakhand was constituted as a separate state from the erstwhile mountains and foothillsarea of Uttar Pradesh in 2000. Since the constitution of a separate state, pilgrimage, hydropowerand medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have been considered key activities and renewable resourcesfor regional economic development and improving the socio-economic status of native communities. The tradition of sustaining livelihood via utilising indigenous MAP resources in thismountain region is an age-old practice.
Around the early 19th century, exchanging daily needs commodities with MAPs through a barter system was common. In the 1950s, harvesting of MAPgrowing in this region was permitted officially, and in 1960, two herbal pharmaceutical companies; IndianMedicines and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IMPCL), Mohan, Ramnagar and Cooperative Drug Factory(CDF), Ranikhet, were established. Subsequently, in hill districts of former Uttar Pradesh (nowUttarakhand), the establishment of Bheshaj Kray Vikray Sahkari Sangh (or Jila Bheshaj SahkariSangh Limited) for participatory harvesting of MAPs from the natural habitats was initiated during 1970. Due to over-harvesting and inadequate regeneration, many Himalayan MAPs faced threats tosurvival. Thus, after the 1990s, conservation, sustainable utilisation and cultivation of MAPs received attention.
However, innovative cultivation of wild medicinal Alliums (Allium caroliniaum, A. humile andA. stracheyi), Caraway (Carum carvi), Costus (Saussrea costus syn. Aucklandia costus) andPleurospermum angelicoides (Chhippi) is almost a century old practice in the cold desert andtemperate areas of Chamoli and Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.
Allium stracheyi cultivation Allium stracheyi cultivation In recent decades, cultivationof Aconite (Aconitum heterophyllum) and Kutki (Picrorhiza kurroa) has become a success story inthe Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Bageshwar districts of Uttarakhand. After, the creation ofUttarakhand, Kutki is among the medicinal herb, which is the favoured optional cash crop choice ofmountain farmers, for combating damage to the agriculture field due to wild animals. It is estimatedthat annually, 15 to 20 metric tonnes (MT) of Kutki is produced in different districts of Uttarakhand,and on an individual basis, an average farmer may earn nearly Rs 50,000–60,000 per annum.
Innovative cultivation of Costus in the border districts of Uttarakhand was started before 1930s, but faced the setback during 1960s, due to problems in trade with China, through high-altitude tradepasses. Hitherto, this practice has been revived and on an average basis, annually, about 10 to 15 MT Costus is produced in Uttarakhand. The mid-hill areas in some districts of Uttarakhand, like Almora,Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champwat and Nainital are major producers of Tejpatta or Bay Leaf(Cinnamomum tamala) and annually 180 to 200 MT Bay Leaves are marketed from Uttarakhand.
Costus cultivation and Costus flower Costus cultivation and Costus flower Facilitation from government agencies and farmer-to-farmer interaction has promotedhundreds of farmers for the cultivation of Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) and other MAPs.
26 MAPs, including some listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and RET and exotic aromatic species have been prioritised by the governmentfor mass-scale cultivation in different agro-climatic zones of the state. Distribution of free plantingmaterial of prioritised species is a useful initiative of the government. Registration of MAP growers,simplification in transit-pass rules (permission for transporting cultivated herbal produce within thecountry) and development of procedure for exporting cultivated CITES and RET species, viz. issuingLegal Production Certificate (LPC), have helped in promoting the MAPs sector in Uttarakhand.
Possibly Uttarakhand is among the pioneer mountain states of the country, where the MAPsgrowers are registered through a prescribed format. This helps in maintaining the database of MAPsgrowers; also, the registration process is useful in checking illegal harvesting of threatened species from natural habitats. InUttarakhand the transit pass for cultivated herbal produce is issued by the Herbal Research andDevelopment Institute (HRDI), and HRDI has authorised the Herbal Development Unit (BheshajVikas Ikai). LPC is issued at the request of theimporter and after the recommendation of HRDI, the concerned divisional office of the Departmentof Forest issues the LPC according to the provisions of the Indian Forest Act.
The Conservation, Development and Harvesting (CDH) initiative is one of the practical plans ofthe Uttarakhand government. As per the CDH plan, nearly 37 species of RET MAPs, includingAshthvarga plants, are prohibited for harvesting from natural habitats, 28 MAPs are categorised forsustainable harvesting and 21 species growing in abundance are permitted for harvesting withoutany restriction. Prohibiting the collection of RET species is not only helping in situ conservation of such species; but it is also encouraging their cultivation. Permitted harvesting of some MAPs hasimportance in sustaining the economy of rural communities and also, auction-based marketing ofharvested materials through the collection centres (mandis), operated by Forest DevelopmentCorporation (FDC), a sister organisation of the Department of Forest, Uttarakhand, helps ingenerating revenue.
Highlands areas ofUttarakhand are esteemed for non-material, both spiritual and religious benefits, and Himalayan herbs. MAPs of the Himalayas are known to have high curing potential; also, Himalayan herbs aredescribed as low-volume, high-value medicinal plants. This is because the Himalayan MAPs grow in harsh environmental conditions and a variety of secondary metabolites or medicinally have useful bio active compounds, including alkaloids, steroids, glucosides and many more are synthesised bythese plants. It is interesting to note that earlier the MAPs grew as wild and are now adopted asoptional cash crops, merely changing their properties.
Field experiences on the cultivation of some MAPs have indicated that this practice is helping in obtaining higher production and the chances ofadulteration or illegal harvesting from the wild are reduced.
Development of a species-specific value chain, including minimising loss in harvesting and transport, effective Post Harvest Management (PHM), strengthening the crude herbs retail market and adopting an additional number of MAPs for cultivation and enhancing productionseem to be needed for effective growth of MAPs sector in the Uttarakhand.
Abhinav Shah (IAS)is the Director, and Dr Chandra Prakash Kuniyal is a scientist at the Herbal Research and Development Institute (HRDI)