Health India Labs to produce Noni in Andamans

Port Blair, Oct 17 (UNI) Chennai-based Health Indian Laboratory (HIL) today signed an agreement with 115 farmers of Tsunami affected Andamans for production and marketing of Noni, a fruit of medicinal value.

The agreement has been signed for a period of ten years between HIL and farm producers of these remote archipelago, marking the first ever public private partnership in Agriculture sector in sylvan islands.

However, the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) would extend research and quality oriented services to the farmers to enable them to have healthy seedling and quantity production.

''The farmers of these islands would be given 10 rupees per kg for the product compared to Rs 5 per kgs in Mailand-India,'' HIL Chairman Dr P I Peter told UNI in Port Blair.

Mr Peter said his company has an annual turn over of 80 crores, which would be doubled every year with the involvement of more farmers in its production. He added that another processing plant would be inducted by HIL in April next year which will have five times more capacity.

''We are now producing 8,000 litres Noni per day and are sure to have 40,000 litres per day from next year,'' said Dr Peter.

Presently, commercial Noni cultivation donn in in Karnataka, Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

''Andaman and Nicobar Islands will be the sixth in this chain,'' he added.

In a grand function today agreement papers were signed and handed over to farmers to mark this historic event.

CARI in Andaman and Nicobar islands is playing a major role in uplifting the status of Tsunami hit farmers of these islands, where a major chunk of cultivable land has been permanently inundated by sea water after a tilt caused by the mega quake of December 2004.

''This public private partnership will go a long way for the development of the farmers of these islands and they will undertake the cultivation of high value agricultural produce to improve their economic condition in these islands,'' Dr R C Srivastava the Director of Andaman's CARI unit said.

UNI SKR JYN/SRC MQA BD1457