Boosting economy, sustaining age-old practice

Natore farmers are gradually turning towards the cultivation of medicinal plants in terms of cash as the farming has started bringing them fortune alongside retaining the century-old herbal medicinal practice.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) herbs worth Tk15 crore are sold by the growers from 15 villages under Lakshmipur Kholabaria union in Sadar upazila of Natore annually.

At present about 140 species of medicinal plants are being cultivated in the vicinity.

Besides, the farmers of the neighbouring villages have also come forward to cultivate the herbaceous plants.

The villages that produce herbaceous plants include Lakshmipur Kholabaria, Borboria, Gazipur, Chowry, Dakkhinpur, Ibrahimpur, Habitpur, Darabpur, Dattapara, Fatengapara, Goaldanga, Mokrampur and Boroharishpur under Natore. The DAE sources said a total of 15,719 tonnes of such plants having medicinal value are grown every year in these villages.

The plants are cultivated on about 150 hectares of land. Aloe vera is the main item cultivated on 131.69 hectares of land and around 14,140 tonnes of the plant leaves are produced per annum.

The farming of Shimul (cotton tree) plants comes in second occupying 103.59 hectares of land that fetches an annual production of 1,320 tonnes of Shimul roots.

Lakshmipur Kholabaria village, which is locally known as Oushadhi (medicinal) village, supplies 80 per cent of the total amount of ingredients required for producing herbal medicine.

Local sources said Lakshmipur village has earned a remarkable success in cultivation of medicinal plants with other villages. A large number of traders from different parts of the country come here to buy herbs every day.

Some 950 farmers produce medicinal plants while some others are engaged in dealing with associated services through which they are making money.

Talking to the growers, it was known that some of them supply seeds, some seedlings while others go after farming.

Besides, there are stockists, wholesalers and retailers alongside hawkers, ‘Hekim’ and ‘Kabiraj’ (practitioner of medicinal plants) – all contributing to production.

The farmers in the village look ecstatic, with most of them having one or two gardens of medicinal plants adjacent to their houses.

Afaj Uddin, a farmer and ‘kabiraj’ in the village of Khamarbari Lakshmipur, said: “At first, I cultivated only 5 plants in my own plot adjacent to my house about 50 years ago. Later, it spread from my village to elsewhere.”

“At present, I have 15 decimals of land in which I cultivate the herbs regularly.”

In addition, Afaj has made name and fame in home and abroad as a producer of herbs and also as a herbal practitioner.

Rezaul Islam, a farmer in Kathalbaria New Bazar village, asserted that he cultivates Aloe vera on his three bighas of land and gets good profit from this every year.

Awlad Hossain and Afzal Hossain of Kholabaria village expressed their enthusiasm and joy about the cultivation of herbal plants in their land which they said bring them forture.

Natore DAE Deputy Director Yasin Ali said climate and soil of the district is suitable for cultivating medicinal plants side by side other crops.

Laxmipur Kholabaria village under Sadar upazila is well-known for producing medicinal plants, he added.