GSFC enters into collaboration with CIMAP

New Delhi, Mar 30 (UNI) The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow, will transfer to the Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GSFC) the plant genetic material of crop and technologies for cultivation and harvesting and processing of extracts formulations.

CIMAP will also transfer the process of conversion of extracted aromatic medicinal plants into manure by composting which will increase the nitrogen, phosphorous and climatic activity and water holding capacity of the units better.

This was agreed upon in a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Dr S P S Khanna, Director, CIMAP and Mr A K Vijayakumar, Executive Director, GSFC-Delhi.

Mr Vijayakumar told UNI today that GSFC has selected three plants initially- artemisia annua, which yields anti-malarial drugs, artemisinin silybum marianum, an anti-hepato toxic drug and geranium pelargonimum gravelones, an aromatic herb that yields geranium oil used in the perfume industry.

The herbs can be cultivated as an inter-crop in the jatropha cultivation farms or as a regular crop.

He said GSFC wanted to empower its client farmers and increase their productivity per hectare. The technical collaboration with CIMAP would enable GSFC to acquire knowledge wealth to pass on to farmers and also to help GSFC's jatropha culivation project of 1095 hectares in Patan district of Gujarat.

GSFC is a Gujarat Government undertaking and CIMAP, a unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR).

UNI GV SR KP1900