State Government is now making efforts to encourage the farmers of the State in cultivating medicinal plants on their fields. A State Medicinal Plant Board has been also constituted in this regard and work is being done on Devaranya Yojana to increase the area of cultivation of medicinal plants. The aim of the scheme is to increase the agricultural income of farmers, especially farmers of tribal areas. The scheme is being implemented by the AYUSH Department. A large quantity of rare medicinal plants are found in the forests of the district. As per information, through Devaranya Yojana, a system of conservation and scientific exploitation and collection of every type of medicinal plants available naturally is being developed. Efforts are being made to increase the production of various medicinal plants by establishing coordination with various departments of the government in the scheme.

 

The scheme is being implemented jointly by the departments of AYUSH, Tribal Affairs, Panchayat and Rural Development, Forest, Horticulture and Food Processing and Farmer Welfare and Agriculture. To promote medicinal plant cultivation, farmers are being helped through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) to cultivate 51 types of medicinal plants. Farmers of tribal areas have taken advantage of the scheme and planted medicinal plants. Efforts are being made by the State Medicinal Plants Board to enter into an MoU with companies producing AYUSH medicines for storage and marketing of medicinal plants.