The manu ruta and shaba ruta fields in Ura are dry. The plants have withered under the freezing temperature. But below the ground, roots of the medicinal plant are fresh and ready to be harvested.
Scientifically known as Inula racemosa and Sausarea lappa, the plant is used to make indigenous medicines. Harvest will start next month, but farmers are skeptical if there will be any buyers for the once much sought after medicinal plant. Apart from the national institute of traditional medicine (NITM) in Thimphu, there are no buyers. Without any markets outside, farmers who grow the plants are affected by the simple rule of economics – demand and supply. “More farmers were encouraged after the plant fetched a good price in the beginning,” said a farmer.
The plant was introduced in Ura by the renewal natural resource research center (RNRRC) in Yusipang, Thimphu, about a decade ago. The centre used to buy ruta for research but, with the centre now growing its own manu and ruta, it will not buy much, according to an official. When NITM first bought both the produce, farmers were paid around Nu 300 for a kilogram. The price has dropped to between Nu 150 to 200.
The success story of medicinal plant spread fast and many farmers started growing it, according to a farmer, Karma. In Somthrang village, Ura, alone, four of the seven households produce about 300 kg of both manu and ruta every year. Many farmers in Shingkhar and Pangkhar also grow the plant on a smaller scale. “We grow more than the market can consume. A few kilogrammes are sold on the roadside,” he said.
The head of pharmaceutical and research unit of NITM, Ugyen Dendup, said that they could only take about 300 to 500 kilogrammes of manu and ruta annually and pays about Nu 150 to Nu 180 a kg. Officials of the Yusipang centre said that the market for the plant is still being explored. “In India, they have their own production and we’re exploring in other regions,” said an official.
“As a source of cash income, the government should assist us by finding more markets,” said Karma.
Source:www.kuenselonline.com
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