Cultivation of Medicinal Plant Success Stories of Two Farmers

Fertiliser Marketing News, Vol. 41 (3), pp.1-4 & 20 (5 pages)Cultivation of Medicinal PlantSuccess Stories of Two FarmersB.C. BISWASConsultant, FAI, New DelhiCultivation of medicinal plant is gaining ground because of the sky rocketing prices of allopathic medicineswhich also have side effects. Cultivation of medicinal plants is economically very attractive. Success stories oftwo farmers, one cultivating Aloe vera and other cultivating drumsticks, are mentioned in this paper. Fertiliseruse in aloe vera is low, but the profit is quite high which could be ploughed back to cultivate some other highvalue high fertiliser requiring crop which in future would help in fertiliser marketing. Fertiliser use by thefarmer in case of drumstick is quite high. Some suggested lines of work for future is also mentioned.THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ONAgriculture (NCA), reincarnated asthe National Commission on Farmers(NCF), implies that farmers are thecenter of our agriculture. Their successis our success, the success of the nation.This aspect was highly valued by thesecond Prime Minister of India whichfound expression in the famous slogan“Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”. Attempts tohighlight the success stories of ourfarmers are rare. Therefore, it was felt thatsuccess stories of our practicing farmerfind a regular place in FAI publications.Success stories of some farmers havebeen highlighted earlier (1,2). This paperprojects the success stories of twofarmers, (aloe vera and drumstickfarmers).Aloevera CultivationAloevera (Aloe barbadensis) is apopular medicinal plant. It belongs toliliaceae family. It is a perennial plant,growing to the hight of 1½ - 2½ ft. Itsleaves are long and thick, juicy with awheel like phylotaxy. The two sides of theleaves have thorny structure with athorny tip. The inner substance of theleaves is jelly like, with bad odour andbitter in taste. The length of the leavesranges from 25-30 cm., while the breadthranges from 3-5 cm. Normally it flowersduring October to January and the longinflorescence has a large number of smallpink flowers all around. Fruits aredeveloped during February to April. It isnormally not propagated through seeds.Vegetative propagation is easy andconvenient. Of late, because of skyrocketing price of allopathic medicineswith its known side effects, medicinalplants and ayurvedic medicines arebecoming popular. World trade worthabout 80 million US$ dollars exists nowand this is likely to increase by 35-40percent within 5 years. USA dominatesthe market (65%) while India and Chinahave a share of 10 percent each whichcould be enhanced by its commercialcultivation.Soil and ClimateAloe vera is found to grow in hothumid and high rainfall conditions. Itis grown in all kind of soils but welldrained soil with high organic matter, ismost suitable. It grows well in brightsun light. Shady conditions results indisease infestation It is highly sensitiveto water stagnation. Therefore, welldrained high land should be selected forits cultivation. A rainfall ranging from1000 – 1200 mm is ideal for aloeveracultivation.Seedling Preparation and PlantingSince it is difficult to grow aloeverafrom seeds, seedlings are normally raisedfrom roots of the plants. Sucker itselfcan be used as seedlings as in Banana.Rainy season is ideal for suckerplantation. A spacing of 1.5 x 1 ft, 1 ft x 2ft or 2 ft x 2 ft is followed.Land PreparationAbout 2-3 ploughings and laddering aredone to make the soil weed free andfriable. Land leveling is then followed.Along the slope, 15-20 ft apart drainageare made.Application of Plant NutrientsBefore land preparation, about 8-10tonnes FYM/ ha is applied. Before thelast ploughing, 35 kg N, 70 kg P 2O 5, and70 kg K 2O/ha are added. Forcontrolling termites problem, 350-400 kgNeem Cake / ha may be applied. InSeptember – October about 35-40 kg N astop dressing may be applied. If the soil isrich in organic matter, N dose can bereduced.Irrigation and IntercultureAfter 40 days or so weeding andearthing up are done. Earthing up is alsopractised after top dressing of fertiliser.Aloe vera is slightly tolerant to drought,but very sensitive to water stagnation.Therefore, proper drainage is moreimportant than irrigation. As per needlight irrigation during drought is enough.Plant ProtectionAloe vera is infested by various insetsand pests Special care is needed for theircontrol in medicinal plants like aloeverawhere the juice of the leaves are directlyFERTILISER MARKETING NEWS • March 2010 1

taken as medicine. Clean cultivation,interculture operation, regular and needbased irrigation, application of adequateorganic manure, treatment of suker beforeplanting, and cultivation of aloevera insunny conditions are conducive forhealthy growth of the aloe vera crop. Useof organic source of plant protectionmaterials like raw garlic juice, neem oil(10,000 ppm) 2-3 ml / lit, tobacco extractant20 ml / lit gave reasonably good result.YieldHarvesting of leaves starts after 7-8months of planting. Sharp knife is usedfor harvesting. Care has to be taken toreduce the loss of juice from the cutportion. If harvesting is done once in ayear, October – November are the bestperiod for harvesting. Second year givesmaximum yield and for about 4-5 yearsgood yield could be harvested. Afterharvesting leaves are dried in shade andthen in sun before storages. Flowers arecollected in December – January andpreserved after proper drying. Yearly 100– 115 quintals raw leaves and 350 – 400kg flowers / ha are obtained. (3)Medicinal QualityBoth the juice of leaves and flowers areused as medicine, but medicines areprepared from leaves. Intake of juice ofleave, improves hunger, and helps indigestion. Juice when mixed with sugarcures cough and cold. Besides these,it also cures nervous weakness,asthma, Jaundice, etc. The leaf flesh(about 7-8g) mixed with honey, taken inmorning and evening cures constipation.Besides, it is good medicine for manyother diseases.It contains various organic compoundswhich cures diseases. Of these, the mainuse is aloine. Besides, these it contains12 types of vitamin, 20 kinds of aminoacids, 20 kinds of minerals, 200 differenttypes of polysaccharides, and variouskinds of glycol- protein which are used forhuman health. Aloine A, and Aloine B, areprinciples of the ayurvedic medicine. (3)EconomicsExpenditure to be incurred for Aloe veracultivation normally amounts to aboutRs.1,10,000 / ha. The expected income witha yield of about 110 – 115 quintal wouldbe about Rs. 340,000/ha. The net profitwould be about Rs.230,000 /ha/year. Inaddition to monetary benefit, socialbenefit would be anormous. Bettermanagement can results in much higherincome and net profit.Success Story of an Aloe vera FarmerJakir Hussain of village Seoraderiya,block Amta 2, Post Office, Barda, districtHowrah, Pin 711 401. (Mobile09732449555) is a progressive farmer ofhis locality. He has three brothers and 22bighas of land (2.93 ha) in a joint family.Traditionally he grows rice, potato andother vegetables. With the help ofthe local ADO office, he hasparticipated in many training programmes,workshops organized by the statedepartment of agriculture and otheragencies. To meet the crop needs he alsoused organic manures / vermicompost etc. prepared by him. (7)When he was convinced about theprofitability of aloevera cultivation, hedecided to grow this crop. He collectedthe suckers of aloevera from NarendrapurRam Krishna Mission in the South 24Parganas and Sriniketan (districtBirbhum) Visva-Bharati, West Bengal.After a year of cultivation, he could get agood amount of profit. The produce ispurchased by the Centre for RuralDevelopment, (CRD) of Jadarpuruniversity which provides technologicaladvise for the cultivation of medicinalplants and their agro-processing. Heharvests the crop at two months interval.Since produce is purchased by theuniversity, he has virtually no problem ofmarketing.He plans to start a agro-processing unitof his own in future. For the benefit of thereaders the method of cultivation adoptedby him is mentioned here.Techniques Adopted1. Land Preparation.2. Application of about 8 tonnes vermicompost / ha during last plough.3. No fertiliser or chemical was applied.4. The application of ½ kg vermicompost / sucker was applied afterestablishment of the sucker. Theapplication was again repeated.5. Hand weeding was followed.6. Proper drainage facility was provided.7. Irrigations (except during rainingseason) were provided as and whenneeded.8. Number of plants / ha were 2625.9. Harvesting started after 8 months ofplanting.10. In first year three cuttings weregiven.11. Yield / ha was 39.4 tonnes of leaves.12. From 2 nd year on ward 5 cutting wereexpected.13. In three years 13 cuttings are expected14. In three years 170.62 tonnes of yieldper ha is estimated.EstimatedTable 1.income is mentioned inTable 1 – Economics of aloe vera cultivationItem Cost (Rs / ha)1. First year expenditure 2,25,000.002. 2 nd year cost 75,000.003. 3 rd year cost 75,000.00Total cost in 3 years 3,75,000.00Estimated income 25,59,000.00(in 3 years)(Price Rs.15/kg)Profit at the end of 21,84,300.003 years (estimated)4. Profit / year / ha 719,766.00(average)Source : (7)2FERTILISER MARKETING NEWS • March 2010

In addition, 5-7 suckers are obtainedfrom each plant every year. Therefore,in 3 years about 15 suckers are normallyobtained. The sale of sucker (Rs. 5/sucker) per year / amounts toRs.65,625/-.Marketing of medicinal plants isvery important. Food crop hasuniversal demand. The same is not truewith medicinal plant. In case ofMr. Hussain, the university ispurchasing, so he has not to face anyproblem. Mr. Hussain has not used anyfertiliser, but organic manure has beenused. Therefore, directly it may not anincreased the fertiliser demand, but thehigher income generated may beploughed back in the cultivation ofsome other crop like vegetableneeding higher doses of fertiliser andhigher credit. Therefore, indirectly thisis also likely to increase fertiliserconsumption.Table 2 – Nutritive value of DS leaves, stick comparad to some vegetablesNames of VegetablesSl.No. Parameter Drum Drum Spinach Carrot Tomato Frenchbean Letttuastick stickleaves1 Water (%) 75.9 86.9 86.4 86.0 93.1 91.4 93.02 Protein (%) 6.9 2.9 3.4 0.9 1.9 1.7 2.13 Fat (%) 1.7 0.1 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.04 Carbohydrates (%) 12.5 3.7 6.5 10.6 3.6 4.5 2.55 Fibre (%) 0.9 4.8 0.7 1.2 0.7 1.8 0.56 Mineral (%) 2.3 2.0 2.2 1.1 0.6 0.5 1.27 Calcium (mg/100g) 440 30 380 80 20 50 50.08 Phosphours (mg/100g) 70 110 30 30 36 28 289 Iron (mg/100g) 7 3.3 16.2 - 1.8 1.7 2.410 Vitamin A (lU) 11,300 184 5,862 3,157 320 221 1,65011 Vitamin B (mg/100g) 0.210 - 4.12 0.4 0.07 0.04 0.0912 Vitamin C (mg/100g) 22.0 12.0 70.0 3.0 31.0 14.0 10.013 Energy (cal) 92.0 26.0 46.0 47.0 20.0 26.0 22.0Source : (4)VarietyRaising SeedlingsDrumstick CultivationDrumstick cultivation is easy, lesstime consuming and paying as well.Therefore, interested farmers may goin for such endeavour.Utility of Drumstick (DS)Every parts of drumstick is useful.Tender leaves and sticks have highamount of Protein, Carbohydrates,Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Minerals. Eachpart is used as medicine. The datapresented in Table 2 provides veryuseful information regardingdrumstick. In addition to sticks andleaves flowers of DS (drumstick) arevalued ingredients of food which arenot only tasty but nutritive too, Its juiceis useful as a protection from bacterialdiseases.Soil and ClimateIt can be grown in variety of soils, butloamy, sandy loam soils are better suited.Sodic soils and also dry conditions arequite ok.Generally DS provides flower once in ayear, but a variety called Najne givesflower throughout the year. Fruit of Najneis thick and short. “Tatanagar” is a highyielding Najne variety. its fruits are longand it flowers profusely and gives highyields.Name and qualities of some importantvarieties are mentioned below:Name of the varietiesCharacterics1. Jafna, Jalpanam Provide fruitsonce in a year,fruits areabout onemeter long2. Kodical Fruits are15-20 cm long,tasty and juicy3. Mulanur Fruits are3-45 cm long4. P.K.M 1 Hybrid These flower(PKM-2) within 4 monthsof plantingand fruits areready after 6months ofplanting.It gives about200 sticks perplant.Seedlings raising is easy. It can bepropagated from seed and also frombranches. About 15 cm x 7 cm polythenebag is most suited. May – June is the besttime. During May – June, Soil and organicmanure in 2:1 ratio has to be put in polypackets two seeds are to be put in eachpackets and kept under shade andwatered regularly. Germination takes placeafter 8-10 days. After 30-35 daysseedlings, are ready for planting in mainland. About 800 gms seeds / ha isenough.Vegetative PropagationOne to two metre long branch is cutfrom the mother plant and planted in soilwith adequate moisture and the cutportion of the head is covered with a lumpof soil.Land Preparation and PlantingDeep ploughing is done for DScultivation. Pits measuring 1ft x 1ft x 1ftat a distance of 2.5 m. is prepared duringsummer months. Pits are filled with 2 kgFYM and soil. On the onset of monsoon,the seedlings are planted in the pits.FERTILISER MARKETING NEWS • March 2010 3

About 1500 plants are needed for a ha ofland. Seedlings prepared by vegetativepropagation also can be planted in thepits after filling with the manures. Thebanks of ponds and waste lands can beconveniently used for DS planting. (5)Interculture OperationTimely and proper weeding at the initialstage of growth is needed. Seedlingsraised from seeds need to be pruned,when plants reach a height of about 3 ft.This helps in the branching of the plantsand many fruits could be had from lowerheight.Fertiliser ApplicationAfter 3 months of planting, 50 g N, 20g P 2O 5and 25 g of K 2O are added perpits. In addition, about 5 kg FYM / vermicompost is to be added per plant.IrrigationDuring dry season irrigation helps forbetter growth of DS plants.Plant Protection MeasuresDS is highly susceptable to variousinsects. Cater pillar, hairy cater pillar etc.are some of the common insects. Hairycater pillars feed on leaves and buds andduring day time stay at the base of theplants. This could be convenientlycontrolled by soap solution applicationduring day time when they gathertogether at the base of the plants.HarvestingAfter 6 months of planting, harvestingare can be done. On average 200 fruitscould be obtained. After harvesting,prunning of plants is done to get morebranches and fruits in the next season.From the vegetative propagation tallplants are obtained. Therefore, afterharvesting, branches have to be axed.Initially about 90 fruits per plants areobtained but with the passage of times4FERTILISER MARKETING NEWS • March 2010about 800 – 1000 DS are obtained / plant.Success Story of a Maharashtra FarmerSantosh Sambhaji Kalane, ofVillage Balwant Station, Taluka : SriGonda, district Ahmednagar,Maharashtra, (Mobile No.09960611855)has created a record in theproduction of Drumstick. (6)Techniques AdoptedThe techniques adopted by him ismentioned herein :1. Land preparation in the month of May20082. Variety used was CO- I3. Treatment of seed with TricodernaVDT4. Sowing of seeds in June 20085. Spacing used was 10 ft x 10 ft and twoseeds were planted in each pit6. After 15 days of seeding, 125 kg urea/ ha was applied through ring method7. 1 kg organic manure per pit was usedafter 15 days of seeding.8. The same manure was used in 45 daysinterval several time.9. After two months of seeding, 125 kgDAP, 125 kg NPK 10 : 26 : 26 were mixedand applied in ring10.In January 2009, cow urine was appliedthrough drip11. A mixture of 250 kg urea + 125 kg NPK10 : 26 : 26 + 125 kg DAP + 30 kg Plantshigh plant growth regulator was applied /ha12. Needed interculture was done, butno irrigation was applied duringrainy season. From December (2008)onward irrigation was applied at aninterval of 4 days through drip, butduring dry season, he also irrigatedthrough furrow13.Prunning of branches were resorted to,after 15 days of seeding14. As a result, lateral branchingincreased15. After a month of 1 st prunning, mediumheight branches were prunned at a heightof 6 ft.16. Third time, prunning was done at aheight of 9 ft. As a result, branching wasprofused and afterwards plants becomefruit bearing.17. After harvesting, a bundle of 10-12kg is made and sent to Pune andMumbai.18. All necessary measures of plantprotection were undertaken.19. Regular field visits was carried out..20. Stem borers, if located, wereimmediately destroyed with a peg and amixture of Kerosine and microtophos wereapplied in the holes and then was closedwith mud21. After a month of seeding,Cypermethyne (5%) and Chloropyriphosmixture was prepared and used @ 2 ml /1lit when fruiting started22. A mixture of dichlorophos 76% EC (2ml / lit) and thiophunate methyl 70% WP(0.5g / lit) was sprayed.23. To control powdery mildew (disease),Microbutanyl 10 WP (0.5 g / lit) wassprayed24. A Pheromon trap was installed for 20plants each.Drumstick is a perennial plant.Therefore one harvesting does notstop the necessary operation. Forhigher yield, after the first harvestingproper management is essential. After thelast harvest in May, the prunning ofbranches is resorted to and borduexmixture is used in the cut portion ofthe plant. Then 20 kg FYM + 800 g SSPper Plant was added. After 3 monthsof this, 250 kg NPK 10 : 26 : 26 + 250 kgDAP + 125 kg urea / ha were used. It isexpected to get higher yield in the secondyear. In the first year, a yield of 25 t / hawas obtained. The economics of 1 st yearcultivation is mentioned in Table 3. TheContinued on page 20..

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Cultivation of Medicinal Plant : Success Stories of Two Farmers(Continued from page 4)Table 3 –profit is likely to increase in second yearon wards.CONCLUSIONALOE VERA IS A FAMOUS MEDICINAL PLANT,but drumstick (DS) is a well knownvegetable and medicinal plant as well.Successful cultivation of these crops iseconomically attractive providedmarketing is not a problem. Aloeveracultivation demands skill and it is alsovery labour intensive, while DScultivation is relatively easy. Thecultivation of these crops needsencouragement to generate employmentand income by the farming communities. The income thus generated could beused for purchasing valued input likefertiliser needed for the cultivation ofhigh fertiliser requiring crops likeEconomics of DS cultivation (Rs. / ha)Month Yield tonnes Price (Rs / ha) Income (Rs)February ‘09 2.5 25 62,500.00March ‘’09 7.5 17 127,500.00April ‘09 12.5 10 125,000.00May ‘09 2.5 9 22,500.00Total 25 - 337,500.00Cost 65,000.00Profit 2,72,500.00Source ( 6)vegetables, sugarcane, grapes, bananaetc. Credit availability can create miracleeven in the poorest of the poor societyas demonstrated in Bangladesh by thework of Prof. M. Yunus, the winner ofNobel Prize. (8)FUTURE LINES OF WORK1. Cultivation of medicinal plantsgenerates employment and income. Theseneed encouragement at the right place.2. In case of marketing of the economicproduct like medicinal plants, organizedmarketing facilities is to be provided.3. The agronomy of these crops are notwell known among the farmers, this needsurgent attention.4. Agro-processing of medicinal plantslike Aloevera is to perfected andpopularized among the needy. This wouldhelp in enhancing employment and incomeof the rural people.5. Work on balanced use of plantnutrients in improving yield and qualityof medicinal plants is lacking. Therefore,this kind of work needs urgentattention.6. Availability of rural credit at right placeby right method can create miracles whichhas been demonstrated by Nobel Prizewinner, Prof. Yunus through his GraminBank. The wealth creation through higherproduction and profit has to beencouraged by the cultivation ofeconomically attractive crops likemedicinal plants (aloevera and DS)REFERENCES1. Biswas, B.C. FMN, 41(1) 1-2 (2010).2. Biswas, B.C. FMN, 41(2) 15-18 (2010).3. De, Rishi Krishna, Annadata, January(2010).4. Gopalan, C. Ramaswami, B.V. andBalasubramaniun, S.C. Nutritive value ofIndian Foods.5. Khara, S. Annadata, January (2010).6. Kumar, T. Annadata, January (2010).7. Maitra Sagar, Annadata, January (2010).8. Yunus, M. Gramin Bank O Amar Jiban(Gramin Bank and My life) published byMahadul Haque, Maola Brothers, 39,Bangla Bazar, Dhaka, Pin-1101. Bangladesh(2004).Statement about ownership and other particulars about FERTILISER MARKETING NEWSto be published in the first issue every year after last day of February – FORM IV SEE RULE 81. Place of publication New Delhi2. Periodicity Monthly3. Printer's Name R. A. BALASUBRAMANIAN(Whether Citizen of India)Yes(If foreigner, state the country of origin)NoAddressThe Fertiliser Association of India10, Shaheed Jit Singh Marg, New Delhi - 1100674. Publisher's Name R. A. BALASUBRAMANIAN(Whether Citizen of India)Yes(If foreigner, state the country of origin)NoAddressas above5. Editor's Name SATISH CHANDER(Whether citizen of India)Yes(If foreigner, state the country of origin)NoAddressas above6. Names and Addresses of individuals who own the newspaper The Fertiliser Association of Indiaand partners or shareholders holding more than one per centa Company limited by guaranteeof the total capitalI, R. A. BALASUBRAMANIAN, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.Dated : March 1, 2010 Signature of Publisher20FERTILISER MARKETING NEWS • March 2010