SUSTAINABLE USE OF HIGH ALTITUDE MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANT FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN UTTARAKHAND: A REVIEW

SUSTAINABLE USE OF HIGH ALTITUDE MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANT FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN UTTARAKHAND: A REVIEW

P. Nainwal ^{* 1} and N. Singh ²

Department of Pharmacognosy ¹, School of Pharmacy ², Graphic Era Hill University, Clement Town, Dehradun - 248002, Uttarakhand, India.

ABSTRACT: The present paper reveals the socio-economic benefits for the peoples of the Uttarakhand state. The demand for medicinal and aromatic plants of Uttarakhand is quite inflated, and many of these plants grow only in the Himalayan states. The State has diverse agro-geo climate conditions, which is most suitable for Medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation. Uttarakhand is blessed with a variety of soils and agro-climatic conditions, ranging from Sub-Tropical to Alpine, which is a mega biodiversity hotspot for a wide range of wild and cultivated Medicinal and aromatic plants. Due to the low point of agricultural production, lack of industrial development, poverty, and unemployment, peoples migrate to exploit biodiversity to improve their socio-economy. There is a socio-economic pressure to migrate on the plain districts for better livelihood opportunities.

Medicinal, Aromatic, Uttarakhand, Agriculture, Socio economy

INTRODUCTION: Uttarakhand, located in the northern part of India and is located between 28 °C 43' N to 31 °C 27' N (Latitude) and 77°C 34' E to 81 °C 02' E (Longitude), is well known for plentiful biological as well as cultural diversity. Almost the entire region of Uttarakhand is covered by mountains (approximately 93%), and forests show up on about 64% of the mountains. The total geographical region of the state is 53,483 sq. Km.; it is split into 13 districts within two revenue divisions and one tribal division ¹. Of the total geographical region, about 19% is under permanent snow cover, glaciers and steep slopes ².

The total population of the state is 1.01 Crores (Census 2012), with over three-fourths of the total population dependent on agriculture for their livelihood ³. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants constitute a major segment of the flora, which provides raw materials for use in the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and drug industries ⁴.

The demand for herbal medicine is increasing throughout the world. Annual turnover of herbal medicine in India is estimated at 1.7 lakh metric tons, for which 960 plant species are in active trade ⁵. Uttarakhand State is enriched with forest and valuable water resources. The populations of high altitude areas of Himalayan regions have limited options to earn money for their daily needs due to the uneconomic nature of cereals production i.e., low returns from agricultural production ⁶. Despite the abundance of innumerable flora and fauna, most of the people are marginalized and still live on a subsistence level.

Due to the low point of agricultural production, lack of industrial development, poverty, and unemployment, peoples migrate to exploit biodiversity to improve their socio-economy.  There is a socio-economic pressure to migrate on the plain districts for better livelihood opportunities ^{7, 8}.

Migration from rural areas in Uttarakhand is a serious problem with a comparison between 2001-2011 census data showing a very slow decadal growth of population in most of the mountain districts of the state ⁹.

Medicinal and aromatic plants collection provides an extra source of income, which compensate for low agricultural production. Uttarakhand endows with a high diversity of Medicinal and aromatic plants ¹⁰. A total of 964 species of medicinal plants are known to occur out of which 614 are herbs, 190 are shrubs, and 160 are trees ¹¹.

This paper aims at the cultivation and sustainable use of high altitude medicinal and aromatic plants for socio-economic development, which may lead to rural employment and, ultimately, the increased state economy.

The socio-economic development would provide better opportunities for industrial development and stop the falling population, specially in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand.

Trade of Medicinal and Aromatic Grown in Uttarakhand: The demand for Medicinal and aromatic plants of Uttarakhand is quite inflated, and many of these plants grow only in the Himalayan states. The State has diverse agro-geo climate conditions, which is most suitable for Medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation ^{12, 13}.

Uttarakhand is blessed with a variety of soils and agro-climatic conditions, ranging from Sub-Tropical to Alpine, which is a mega biodiversity hotspot for a wide range of wild and cultivated Medicinal and aromatic plants ¹⁴. More than 2000 unique plants with medicinal properties are found in State.

The state has 3.66lac ha cultivable wasteland which can be utilized for the cultivation of aromatic crops. 324 Medicinal and aromatic plants attribute to approximately 200 metric tone/yr by volume is cultivated.

Most of the cultivated and off-farm Medicinal and aromatic plants are grown only in the state’s provinces of Garhwal, Kumaun, and Jaunsar region ¹⁵.

Many of these medicinal plants are only grown in the subsistence level and are not exploited to the commercial scale.

TABLE 1: MISCELLANEOUS LIST OF PLANTS GROWN IN UTTARAKHAND ADVANTAGEOUS FOR TRADE ¹⁶

TABLE 2: OVERVIEW OF MEDICINAL IMPORTANCE AND OTHER FACTS OF SOME UNIQUE PLANT SPECIES ^17-19

CONCLUSION: Uttarakhand is blessed with the perfect climate for the production of numerous medicinal and aromatic plants, which may ultimately help to increase the state’s economy and industrial revenue by the supplies of the raw drugs or the extracted product ²⁰. We have analyzed the production of the Uttarakhand state’s Medicinal and aromatic plants, which gives insights about the export volume and value of the different product categories under Medicinal and aromatic plants.

Amongst the different product categories, medicinal plants and fruits and flavors are the most important export commodities under Medicinal and aromatic plants category and shares a major percentage, both in terms of volume and value. Although India is dominating the exports to other developing countries in terms of volume but Chinese interest in high valued Medicinal and aromatic plants has significantly increased the export value ²¹.

Uttarakhand high altitude regions may increase the yield up to 2-3 folds, providing more preserving environmental conditions for better cultivation and propagation of the crops. Many of the unique varieties of fruits and plants are grown at the subsistence level with poor scientific techniques, which leads to the scanty agro produce.

Besides, there are many potential causes of growth rarity in Medicinal and aromatic plants, including habitat specificity, narrow range of geographical distribution and exploitation of land use, the introduction of non-natives, habitat alteration, and heavy livestock grazing ²². The use of proper training and scientific techniques may help people to understand the culturing process well and would provide a number of employments with increased wages to the local people of the state. The state has immense potential for medicinal plant cultivation, and it can become one of the important options for sustainable livelihood for the hilly area.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Nil

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Nil

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    How to cite this article:

    Nainwal P and Singh N: Sustainable use of high altitude medicinal and aromatic plant for socio-economic development in Uttarakhand: a review. Int J Pharm Sci & Res 2020; 11(9): 4238-43. doi: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.11(9).4238-43.

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