Savoury scheme

Ranchi, Oct. 28: Dragons may rise, queens may fall, farmers fear not for you’ll have spice.

Move over floriculture flourish and bamboo boom, the Jharkhand State Horticulture Mission is gearing up to reap the benefits of an ancient course of cultivation to turnaround the fortunes of its farmers.

If plans fall in place, sprawling spice gardens — and herb parks in distant future — will dot as many as 17 districts of the state, which currently has only four hectares of flavour bowl in Ranchi, Ramgarh, Seraikela, Khunti, Hazaribagh and Lohardaga joined together.

State horticulture mission director Prabhakar Singh said Jharkhand had immense potential for cultivating spices like cinnamon, fenugreek, ginger, turmeric, chilli, garlic, et al, a treasure trove that hadn’t been explored properly till date.

The project is pegged at Rs 5 crore and will include distribution of seeds, technical assistance to farmers, packaging of end products and marketing. “In every district, we want to create several model spice gardens, where farmers can pay visits, interact and take help to replicate cultivation methods in their own farms. Besides these field visits, they will also be trained through workshops,” he said.

Initiated in 2005, the horticulture mission in the state has quickly gained momentum. “In the last couple of years, we have cultivated fruits and cashew nuts. A five-member team from the Government of India had recently reviewed our work and lauded us for our efforts. Spices will further spice up our achievement because the state has a climate very conducive to cultivation of these flavouring ingredients,” Singh said, adding that after spices they would mull herb parks replete with basil, bay leaf and their ilk.

Going by history, this ambitious anticipation of a windfall with spices and herbs is not at all unwarranted.

At the start of the Middle Ages, 350gm of cinnamon were worth 5,000gm of silver. Only the wealthy and powerful had access to the spice. In 65AD, the Roman emperor Nero is said to have burned a year’s supply of cinnamon at his wife’s funeral.

Egyptian queen Cleopatra, famous for her beauty, had an envious arsenal of seductive oils and scents, and no doubt employed cinnamon to enhance her looks.

The word basil, on the other hand, is derived from the Greek word for king, a reference to its royal fragrance. Ancient Romans called the herb “basiliscus”, a reference to the Basilisk, a mythical dragon that could kill a man by just looking at him. Eating basil was thought to be a protection against this dragon, as well as a cure for poison.

Singh said Jharkhand always had the potential to cultivate spices and herbs, but lack of awareness had been the main deterrent. Also, government funding for farmers was restricted to just six districts till this year.

“But now, we have decided to extend it throughout the state. The project will be a win-win for farmers because those who take up only one crop a year will have extra revenue. The USP of spices is that their sowing and cultivation take just two-three months,” he added.

Singh maintained that many farmers had evinced interest in the project. “We will give free seeds to them from November. We will also lend technical support and help them in selling their products,” he reiterated.