Dabur signs MoU with DRDO to promote cultivation of rare medicinal plants

MUMBAI: Ayurveda company Dabur India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Defence Research and Development Organization's (DRDO) Defense Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) to promote sustainable cultivation of rare medicinal plants in the most difficult terrain in the world, Ladakh. "Under this agreement, both the organisations will educate farmers in the Leh-Ladakh about high altitude

medicinal plant species and also help enhance the livelihood of villagers in the cold desert area by involving them in cultivation of medicinal plants. The farmers will also be provided free saplings of rare medicinal plants and herbs", said Dr. J. L. N. Sastry, Head - Healthcare Research, Dabur India. "This is part of our plans to become the country's largest bulk herbs grower. At Dabur, we have been proactively engaged in not just protecting rare and environmentally sensitive herbs and medicinal plants but also increasing their coverage by engaging community in cultivating these rare herbs, Dr Sastry added.

The initiative will focus on development of a self-sustainable system by creation of a value chain for the targeted endangered species and sustainable management of bio-resources by implying scientific agronomy practices and thereby ensuring biodiversity conservation.

Dabur currently grows rare medicinal herbs in over 3,000 acres of land across India and Nepal. In addition, it also has a greenhouse in Pantnagar, where these rare herbs and cultivated and then distributed to farmers across the country. "Today, over 2,000 farmers directly benefit from these initiatives," Dr Sastry added.