Kohima, June 28 (DIPR): The National Institute of Rural Development, North Eastern Regional Centre (NIRD-NERC), Guwahati-22 held an off campus programme on 'mobilising entrepreneurs in the business of medicinal and aromatic plant species for Nagaland State' sponsored by NEC, Shillong from June 26 to 28 at the SIRD Kohima Conference Hall which was inaugurated by Director SIRD Nagaland, Limasenla Jamir.
In her inaugural speech Limasenla emphasised on the growing importance of the medicinal and aromatic plants all over the world in general and the State of Nagaland in particular. She said it has been found that medicinal and aromatic plants are relevant not only for the health and welfare of the rural people but also rural development as a whole. She informed that the training programme would be highly challenging, enterprising and also interesting. She also gave a brief introduction about SIRD Kohima since its inception and assured her support to this kind of innovative programmes in the future by the department.
Dr. SK Dutta, Course Director from NIRD-NERC in his briefing said that the people using herbal medicine have low value in public esteem, but those who are making business out of them are making big money in their entrepreneurship on medicinal and aromatic plants which are developing in whole of the North East with a great repository. He added that medicines given in raw form are not popularly accepted, but if it is branded they become high value and mentioned that a lot of research, cooperation, convergence and development are required. He informed that medicinal plants are useful for different purposes which are precisely known.
Speaking on the occasion a cultivator of medicinal plant from Mangmetong village M. Asoba in his short speech said that it is believed that herbal medicine can give good effect to body without causing side effect to human life and added that the usage of medicinal plants has been increasing as an important role which can also support our economic system.
Vote of thanks was proposed by Professor & Head Department of Extension Education, Assam Agriculture University, Khanapara, Guwahati-22, Dr. Kamala Kanta Saharia who was also the resource person in the training. The inauguration programme was followed by technical session conducted by Associate Professor, SASARD, Nagaland, Sapu Changkija.
