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ITANAGAR: A three-day national conference on “Medicinal & Aromatic Plants for Rural Prosperity: Strategic Roadmap for the Medicinal & Aromatic Plant Sector in North East India” concluded at Pasighat in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday.
The event brought together over 100 experts, farmers and stakeholders to deliberate on the sustainable cultivation and market development of the sector.
The College of Horticulture and Forestry (CHF), Central Agricultural University, Pasighat organized the conference from February 20 to 22 in association 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.
CHF Dean Prof Lobsang Wangchu, Chairman of the Core Organizing Committee, delivered the welcome address, while Dr Arunkumar Ph, Associate Professor at CHF and Organizing Secretary, outlined the significance and objectives of the conference.
Pasighat East MLA Tapi Darang highlighted the role of medicinal and aromatic plants in enhancing rural prosperity in the Northeast. Organizers also released the abstract book and other conference publications during the inaugural session.
More than 100 delegates, including scientists, academicians, students, extension personnel, entrepreneurs and progressive farmers from across the region, participated in the event.
Speakers conducted technical sessions and panel discussions in hybrid mode over three days, covering six major thematic areas related to cultivation, value addition, research, marketing and policy interventions in the medicinal and aromatic plant sector.
Eminent experts, including Dr Satyabrata Maiti, former Director, DMAPR, Anand, Gujarat; Dr Govind Rao, ICAR-Emeritus Scientist, New Delhi; Dr S P Saikia, Senior Principal Scientist, NEIST-CSIR, Jorhat; Dr H Nanaocha Sharma, Director, IBSD-BRIC, Manipur; and Dr Asish G R, Principal Scientist, Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda Research Institute, Thrissur, attended the conference, among others.
Organizers also held a stakeholder meet-cum farmer-scientist interaction on Sunday to bridge the gap between researchers and farming communities. Participants discussed sustainable cultivation practices and improved marketing strategies for medicinal and aromatic crops.
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