Forest dept to set up 2 godowns for storing and preserving medicinal plants

Kolkata: The state Forest department has decided to set up two godowns - one in South Bengal and another in North Bengal, for storage and preservation of medicinal plants.

The state will be processing these plants and packaging them before selling them directly to the drug companies.

The purpose is to ensure that the labourers involved in collection of these plants in the forest get their due payment against such work.

"Due to lack of storage capacity, the persons involved in collection of these medicinal plants sell them through some private entity to the drug companies. In the process, they are deprived of their dues. We want to act as a beneficiary so that the labourers get the value of their hard work. Collection of these plants in the forest is not only a difficult job but also a risky affair ," state Forest minister Binay Krishna Barman said.

The place for setting up the godowns will be finalised soon. "We will procure the plants after collection from the labourers and store them in our godown. Then after processing and packaging, we will sell them directly to the drug companies, thereby eliminating the role of middlemen," a senior official of the department said.

In North Bengal, which has a reasonably high forest cover, there are a large number of people involved in this collection work. However, in South Bengal the state will encourage more people in this initiative.

The state has already taken significant steps to enhance the income of those involved in honey collection.

"We are procuring honey directly from the collectors and are preparing processed products through it and also marketing them so that they get value of their hard work," the official maintained.

The state Forest department is celebrating a week-long Forest Festival (Bon Mahotsav) through out the state. The inaugural state-level programme was held at Gopiballavpur in Jhargram on Saturday, in presence of a number of cabinet ministers including Barman.

The department has fixed a target of planting 3 crore trees in the monsoon season. 2 crore plantations will be done by the department itself, while another 1 crore will be done on the basis of demand through the Urban Forestry division.

"All concerned officials in the districts have been asked to organise sit and draw, recitation, quiz competition and similar cultural programmes with the aim to raise awareness on forest and wildlife, particularly among the young generation," Barman said.