WB 'plucks' Tulsi, brews a drink with it to fight COVID and give jobs

In a bid to rake in some revenue by taking advantage of COVID-19 infused demand for immunity boosters, the West Bengal government is promoting the cultivation of Tulsi (holy basil), a major ingredient in Ayush Kwath, an ayurvedic ‘immunity enhancer.’

The state’s AYUSH Department and Medicinal Plant Board, with the help of the Horticulture Department, initiated the cultivation drive in 12 villages under two gram panchayats in Cooch Behar, emulating the ‘Tulsi Gram’ project. (It is being run in a remote village in the district since 2018).

The ‘Tulsi Gram’ project had come in for praise and it received the first prize at the International Science Festival in 2019 in the ‘application of Ayush system’ category.

The government now plans to replicate the project in other villages to cash in on the growing demand for Tulsi. Officials in the Ayush Department feel that even after the pandemic is over, people will continue to use traditional remedies as a preventive measure.

The Union AYUSH Ministry, in a letter in April, had directed all state governments to promote commercial manufacturing of the formulation made of Tulsi, Dalchini (cinnamon bark), Sunthi (dry ginger powder), and Krishna Marich (black pepper) as an immunity-boosting measure.

The ministry said the formulation should be sold in the generic name ‘Ayush Kwath’ or ‘Ayush Kudineer’ or ‘Ayush Joshanda.’

In June, the cultivation scheme was formally launched with 150 farmers, each pulling one ‘bigha’ of land for a pilot project that will determine the quality of the herb. (One ‘bigha’ is roughly 1/3 of an acre in West Bengal). Through the pilot project the farmers will be trained to scientifically grow the plant, officials of the Horticulture Department said.  Ultimately, the department will provide Tulsi saplings to eight thousand families in the 12 villages.

Construction of godowns and drying sheds 

Through the cultivation scheme, linked with MGNREGA, the government also hopes to generate employment for migrant workers who had returned to the districts after losing their jobs due to the lockdown.

Stating that it is a one-of-its-kind initiative in the state, the skilled technical person (STP) of the MGNREGA project in the area, Tapash Saha, said, cultivators will be engaged under the 100-day-work scheme for tulsi cultivation.

Amrita Tulsi, Krishna Tulsi, Drudriha Tulsi, Ram/Kali Tulsi, and Babi Tulsi are the tulsi variants found in Bengal.

The Cooch Behar district has been selected for the project because it is humid but not very hot. This condition is considered suitable for the growth of quality herbs. Moreover, the ‘Tulsi Gram’ project at the district’s Velapeta village also influenced the selection of Cooch Behar, officials said.

Dr. Basab Kanti Dinda, an Ayurveda practitioner, encouraged plantation of Tulsi saplings in every household in the village because the people there used to regularly suffer from cough and cold, sore throat, fever, headache, nasal blockage etc.

Within a year, the illnesses in the village reportedly reduced considerably due to regular intake of Tulsi by the villagers, Dr. Dinda said.

Many Velapeta villagers also made extra income by selling Tulsi leaves. Dried Tulsi leaf is sold for ₹50 per kg. One hectare of land yields a minimum of one ton of Tulsi leaves thrice a year.

Apart from the Tulsi cultivation drive, the state government is also planning to bring to the market in a couple of months an ‘immunity-boosting’ sandesh, a traditional Bengali sweet called Arogya Sandesh. “Cottage cheese will be mixed with pure honey from the Sunderbans to prepare the sweet which will also have extracts of Tulsi leaves,” PTI quoted an official of the Animal Resources Development Department as saying.

The sweetmeat will be available in the department’s outlets in the city and neighbouring districts, the official told the news agency.