Members of Bharatiya Prakriti Krishi Yojana Visit Santhigiri Herbal Garden

Pothencode: Officials of Bharatiya Prakriti Krishi Yojana reached Santhigiri Ashram to visit the Ashram and learn about organic farming and medicinal plant management. A group of activists involved in the Bharatiya Prakriti Krishi Project in seven blocks namely Tamarakulam, Nooranad, Chunakkara, Bharanikav, Vallikkam, Palamel, and Karimulaikkal in Alappuzha district visited Santhigiri Siddha Medical College Medicinal Botanical Garden today (03.02.2024, Saturday) at 10:30 am. Santhigiri Siddha Medical College Gunapatham Marunthial Department Associate Professor V. Ranjitha, Assistant Professor BP Sindhu, and Physical Education Department Associate Professor K. Binod received the team. P. Rajani, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Charummood Block (Alappuzha District) said that Santhigiri Herbal Garden was chosen as part of the study tour.

Raseem, a Community Resource Farmer in Bharnikav Block Chunakkara Panchayat informed that the real objective of the Bharatiya Prakriti Krishi Yojana scheme is to promote, maintain, and provide necessary instructions for farming to 350 voluntary organic farmers in the block. He said that the scheme includes visiting botanical gardens and farms in different places once a year and imparting the knowledge there to the farmers. During the visit to Santhigiri Siddha Medical College Medicinal Botanical Garden, he was able to identify various plants, evaluate their medicinal properties, and learn about them. Raseem noted that the Bharatiya Prakriti Krishi Yojana Scheme is not just about herbs, but also living things like domestic fowl, fishes, and beekeeping for pollination are being done as part of the activities.

The Bharatiya Prakriti Krishi Yojana provided knowledge on currently conserved medicinal plants such as kiriyat, ayyappana, red koduveli, arbuda nashini, idampiri-valampiri, black pepper and various species of tipalis. BP Sindhu shared with the team members the fact that Santhigiri Siddha Medical College uses medicinal plants from the herbal garden for internal use in a completely scientific manner with an emphasis on bio-protection. Assistant Agriculture Officer, Vallikunnam Block, A. Shameer Muhammad said that the benefit of this study tour to Santhigiri was very valuable. The team members who spent about an hour at the herb garden consisted of 43 members.