At Pasighat in the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, a three-day national conference on “Medicinal & Aromatic Plants for Rural Prosperity: Strategic Roadmap for the Medicinal & Aromatic Plant Sector in North East India” came to an end. More than 100 experts, farmers, and stakeholders convened at the event to discuss the sector’s market development and sustainable farming practices. In collaboration with the North Eastern Council, the National Medicinal Plants Board, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Regional Office, Itanagar), and the Society for Conservation and Resource Development of Medicinal Plants, the College of Horticulture and Forestry (CHF), Central Agricultural University, Pasighat, hosted the conference from February 20 to 22.
The welcome presentation was given by CHF Dean Prof. Lobsang Wangchu, Chairman of the Core Organizing Committee, and the conference’s significance and goals were explained by Dr. Arunkumar Ph., Associate Professor at CHF and Organizing Secretary. MLA Tapi Darang of Pasighat East emphasized how aromatic and medicinal plants contribute to the Northeast’s rural prosperity. During the first session, the abstract book and other conference publications were also released by the organizers. The event was attended by about 100 people from various regions, including scientists, academicians, students, extension agents, entrepreneurs, and forward-thinking farmers.
Prominent specialists attended the conference, including Dr. Satyabrata Maiti, former Director of DMAPR in Anand, Gujarat; Dr. Govind Rao, ICAR-Emeritus Scientist in New Delhi; Dr. S P Saikia, Senior Principal Scientist at NEIST-CSIR in Jorhat; Dr. H Nanaocha Sharma, Director of IBSD-BRIC in Manipur; and Dr. Asish G R, Principal Scientist at Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda Research Institute in Thrissur. In an effort to close the gap between researchers and farming communities, organizers also hosted a stakeholder meeting and farmer-scientist engagement on Sunday. Participants talked about better marketing techniques for aromatic and medicinal crops as well as sustainable farming methods.
