PESHAWAR: The climate change, forestry and environment department has started sale of medicinal and aromatic plants at commercial level to reduce dependence of forest area people on timber.

“The sale of medicinal and aromatic plants or non-timber forest production (NTFP) at commercial level will provide alternative livelihood opportunities to people in forest areas,” NTFP Director Rashid Hussain told Dawn.

He said that the Directorate of NTFP started establishing community-based non-timber forest product enterprises in the forest areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The non-timber forest products consist of goods of biological origin other then timber, as well as services derived from use of forests and allied land.

“Under this initiative, we are establishing village development committees, which are registered as community-based enterprises (CBE). So far CBEs have been established in five forest areas while 10 more will be set up soon,” said Mr Hussain.

He said that non-timber forest products in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa included mushrooms, honey, wild nuts and fruits, wild vegetables and condiments.

Environment dept to provide alternative livelihood opportunities to locals through sale of medicinal and aromatic plants at commercial level

Wild nuts and fruits include pine nuts and wild persimmon and wild vegetables include Kachnar, Suhanjna, Kunjai and Kaveer while condiments include dried pomegranate seed (anar dana), black cumin seed (zeera) and black seed (kalonji).

NTFP can be categorised into food products, which are mushrooms, honey, wild fruits, vegetables and condiments. Medicinal and aromatic plants and industrial products include resin, Betula Utilis, Babar grass and bamboos while Mazri leaves and Kana can be placed in the category of fibbers.

“The category of animal products consists of silk cocoons, lac, skin, eggs etc. In addition to it, oil and soap nut, walnut bark, gums, basketry, chewing sticks and ornamental plants besides flowers, their extract and perfumes can be also put in this category,” said Mr Hussain.

He said that the directorate had been working to assist field managers in management of NTFP for providing sustainable livelihood to the forest dependent communities to reduce pressure on forest for preservation of natural resources and conservation of bio-diversity.

The official said that the directorate had chalked out business plan for each community-based enterprise as per available potential of non-timber forest products in the respective areas. “All details of available medicinal and aromatics plants are part of each business plan,” he added.

He said that they were imparting proper training to each community-based enterprise on collection, processing, packing and marketing of medicinal and aromatic plants to improve their livelihood.

He said that the government was also providing to people necessary equipment that were helpful in collection and processing of such plants to enable them to prepare value added organic forest products.

“Currently we have started working with focus on forest areas in Malakand and Hazara forest regions,” said the official. He added it would be extended to other areas gradually.

He said that government was also establishing model shops in the respective regions to display and sale out forest products. Besides locals, tourists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country took interest in medicinal and aromatic plants, he said.

“We are leading in this regard as no such example of selling medicinal and aromatic plants at commercial level under the patronage of government exists in any other province of the country,” said Mr Hussain.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has already established the Directorate for NTFP to take maximum advantage from medicinal and aromatic plants as well as non-timber forest products. It is meant to conserve, regenerate, propagate and sustainably develop minor forest produce and develop linkages of NTFP collectors with the market.

The objectives of establishing the directorate also include making efforts to reduce foreign exchange spent on import of non-timber forest products like medicinal plants, honey and mushrooms etc.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2023