COIMBATORE: Undeterred by the prevailing drought like situation, a number of farmers in the Coimbatore district have now opted to grow herbal crops that require only a fraction of the water required for food crops.
Satish, a farmer who has decided to switch to herbs this year, says, “Some months back, all the rechargeable wells and bore wells in our locality went dry. Though the recent rain gave respite, it is not adequate to raise regular food crops, which need plenty of water . Hence we opted for herbal crops, which can survive even with very less water.”
A booming export market for herbal products is adding to the attractiveness of these crops, according to K Devarajan, president of the Coimbatore district herb and tree growers association. “The farmers have switched to herbal crops, after realising its rich benefits. There is a huge demand for herbal products abroad. Coimbatore and neighbouring districts alone accounts to about Rs 100 crore worth herbal exports on a yearly basis,” he says.
Karamadai, Moolanur, Sirumugai and Dharmapuri, are the centres of herbal cultivation and almost the entire harvest is exported from Thoothukudi to Europe, Middle-East and Africa.
Though the export market is booming, farmers are still trying to find a domestic market. The State government is showing interest too and has allocated Rs 10 crore for promoting herbal crops in the district. “Though good revenues are being generated through exports, farmers are still trying to find a suitable domestic market. Now, through a joint initiative with the forest department, we are in the process of identifying suitable buyers in the domestic market,” says Devarajan.