HYDERABAD: Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy on Saturday opined that if farmers were reassured that their medicinal and aromatic produce would be procured by the government, they could be motivated to grow those rare and highly useful plants on a large scale in the country.
He was addressing the Kisan Mela held at the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic plants (CIMAP)- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) in Hyderabad, as the chief guest on Saturday.
Addressing the gathering, Niranjan Reddy said that China, Cuba and Taiwan were ruling the aromatic herbs industry globally, and that the respective governments in those countries were procuring the produce directly from the farmers. He felt that governments needed to take steps to encourage cultivation of aromatic and medicinal plants, as international organisations and forums were giving importance to such plants from which medicines are produced.
Niranjan Reddy further said that medicinal and aromatic herbs were good for health, which could improve the quality of life.