In a significant move to promote the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), the J&K Government has constituted a high-level committee to draft a comprehensive and time-bound roadmap for the sector's commercial expansion across the Union Territory. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that according to a Government Order No. issued by the General Administration Department yesterday, sanction has been accorded for the constitution of the committee to ensure structured growth and promotion of medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation in J&K. According to the order, the Administrative Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, will serve as the Chairperson of the Committee. The Administrative Secretary, Forest, Ecology & Environment Department, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests/HoFF, J&K, Vice Chancellors of SKUAST-Jammu and SKUAST-Kashmir, Director, CSIR–Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, Mission Director, HADP/JKCIP and Director, Rural Development Department, Jammu/Kashmir have been nominated as Members of the committee. The order empowers the Chairperson to co-opt additional member(s), if required, for effective discharge of the Committee’s responsibilities. As per the Terms of Reference, the Committee will prepare a detailed and implementable project report for promotion of identified medicinal and aromatic plant species, taking into account agro-climatic suitability, market demand, value chain development and long-term sustainability. The panel has also been tasked with engaging private sector stakeholders, including industries, processors and exporters, to incorporate their inputs and ensure a market-oriented and holistic framework. It will recommend financial incentives, support mechanisms and risk-mitigation measures to encourage farmers and entrepreneurs to undertake commercial cultivation of MAPs. The Committee will further review existing regulatory frameworks of the Forest Department and suggest necessary relaxations, procedural simplifications and policy interventions to facilitate registration, cultivation, harvesting, storage, transportation and marketing, while ensuring adherence to conservation norms. Additionally, it will propose institutional mechanisms for effective implementation, monitoring and periodic review of the roadmap. The initiative is aimed at unlocking the economic potential of medicinal and aromatic plants in J&K and creating sustainable livelihood avenues in the agriculture and allied sectors.
