Remember Al Pacino lighting up in Scarface? Or Clint Eastwood, gun in hand and cigar in mouth in the spaghetti westerns?

Despite undeniable health risks, cigars - tightly rolled bundles of dried and fermented leaf tobacco in varying thickness - epitomise masculine cool. And Jharkhand, which grows the tendu or Diospyros melonoxylon in huge quantities, is now mulling if the humble leaf can now be used to roll the globally in-demand cigars.

Found abundantly in Jharkhand, the tendu fetches the state around Rs 500 crore annually in the manufacture of bidi, the poor man's cigarette. The figure can grow exponentially if the leaves are used to make cigars.

If tendu leaves can be used to make the cigar, it will be a major leap for Jharkhand's minor forest produce revenue and people dependent on them.

According to Ashwini Kumar, director general of Indian Council of Forest Research (ICFR) and chancellor of Forest Research Institute University (FRIU), Dehradun, who is here on a three-day tour, said it would be a win-win for state coffers as well as forest dwellers who collect tendu leaves.

At Institute of Forest Productivity (IFP) in Lalgutwa, Ranchi, which undertakes research for improved forestry and people associated with its in Jharkhand, Bengal and Bihar, Kumar stressed on exploring if tendu leaves could make cigars that are globally sought after.

"The state can convert its asset of tendu leaves, currently used for making humble bidis, into manufacturing cigars," he said. "This will result in two crucial developments. First, thousands of forest dwellers, dependent on tendu leaf collection and bidi manufacture will get good returns for their labour. Second, the state can earn more revenue," Kumar told the media at Hotel Ranchi Ashok on Wednesday noon.

"Currently, tendu leaves are perceived to be inferior and suitable for bidis. But not all leaves may be of poor quality. So, I've asked officials here to first identify good quality tendu leaves, prepare an inventory and work out a mechanism to make cigars," said Kumar.

In the morning, Kumar also visited Bundu to inspect IFP's new farmer uplift intervention on lac cultivation.

"Lac cultivation is a booming business. Our wing here is trying to innovate and improve it through various R&D. Currently, lac is cultivated on kusum, called Ceylon oak or Schleichera oleosa. But, recent research suggested that Flemingia macrophylla tree can also be used to cultivate lac. So, on an experimental basis, we are trying it out in Bundu where few farmers have come forward. The prospects look good," Kumar said.

About other plans, he said Dabur India Limited had expressed its willingness to procure medicinal plants from Jharkhand. "Medicinal plants are mostly found in jungles in huge numbers but we may not know all species available," Kumar said.

"I've asked officials to work in phases, identifying, cultivating and promoting medicinal plants such as Ipomoea turpethum or nissot, Andrographis paniculata or kalamegh. Dabur has promised to procure them. We also try to take up cultivation of Dendrocalamus asper or edible bamboo, which enjoys great demand in Southeast Asian countries."