2nd International Symposium boosts minor fruits and medicinal plants

Wednesday, 25 December 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Indiscriminate harvesting and use has endangered many valuable species of plants says Professor S.N. Ghosh

Text and pix by P.D. de Silva “Herbs are an important commercial item in national and international trade as approximately 80% of the developing world’s population is dependent on traditional medicines of plant origin for their healthcare needs. Indiscriminate harvesting and use has resulted in many valuable species being endangered or nearing extinction now,” disclosed Professor S.N. Ghosh the head of the Department of Fruits and Orchard Management of the Faculty of Horticulture at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India at the opening ceremony of the 2nd International Symposium on Minor Fruits and Medicinal Plants held at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Ruhuna in Mapalana, Kamburupitiya recently.

“Minor Fruits are fruits that are cultivated on a lesser acreage in a state or country. Major and minor fruits may be defined as those varieties planted with a commercial benefit in mind. Rare fruits are usually not deliberately planted and many are only found in forests. “Most of the rare fruits are indigenous and endemic to the region. Most minor fruits are less prone to pests, disease, drought and winter. Thus these varieties are suitable to be grown in disaster and drought prone areas providing ecological security. Most minor fruit crops which are the source of raw material for the Ayurvedic industry are a rich in Vitamin A and C as well as minerals. “With the awareness of the toxicity and health hazards caused by the synthetic chemicals the use of plant-based chemicals has increased throughout the world. Hence I hope that a fruitful deliberation will be made today and its outcome would be that researches plan their future aspects in a new dimension, policy makers formulate them so as to help growers boost the production of minor fruits and medicinal plants,” he said. The 2nd International Symposium on Minor Fruit Crops and Medicinal plants was hosted by the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Ruhuna at which 54 papers including 27 international papers on biodiversity conservation, production of secondary metabolites and biotechnology, processing and value addition, marketing and entrepreneurship development, crop production and protection were to be considered. Vice Chancellor University of Ruhuna Senior Professor Gamini Senanayake was the Chief Guest, while Chancellor of the Wayamba University Professor Tuly de Silva delivered the keynote address. Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Professor S. Subasinghe and Dr. Deepthi Wathugala spoke at the inaugural sessions.