ISLAMABAD, March 31: The ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) has selected 28 plants for cultivation in farmers' fields under a project to introduce medicinal herbs and species as crops, it has been learnt.

Experts say Pakistan is rich in medicinal plant species, of which nearly 2,000 have been identified and recorded in botanical literature. The sector, however, remains neglected although these herbs have been used by the public for cure as modern system of treatment remains inaccessible to them due to high cost.

Thus, almost 50,000 traditional herbal practitioners (hakims and sanyasis) still cater to over 50 per cent of the population. Agricultural research development programmes have kept their focus mainly on major crops to the neglect of the smaller ones, especially medicinal herbs and species.

But the country can no longer afford to remain indifferent to their conservation and optimal utilization in view of the agreements on intellectual property under the World Trade Organization.

These have given rise to the threat that our failure to award due recognition to the traditional knowledge about the medicinal herbs might culminate in our losing the right to use it.

For transnational companies have now set their sights on versatility of these herbs to maximise their profits by a simple strategy of getting them patented. But no less threat is the extinction of these species due to deforestation, launching of mega projects, urbanization and the methods of harvesting and extracting them.

Due to lack of knowledge and haphazard techniques of exploitation, most of the resources remain unutilized and traditional medicines have to fulfil over 90 per cent of its requirements by import.

The project signifies the realization in the government that these plants could be used through sustainable methods for increasing incomes of farmers, particularly in the rain- dependent areas.

The project started its activities with the provision of Rs35.774 million under an investment plan spanning the period up to 2006. It is being implemented by the ministry in collaboration with the country's apex institutes such as Hamdard University, Karachi; Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar; Pakistan Agricultural Research Centre and its institutes such as PGRI, NARC and Arid Zone Agricultural Research Centre, Quetta.

These centres would arrange programmes to train farmers in the cultivation of various herbs. The scheme includes provision of seed to the farmers. This part of the scheme is pertinent to the conditions of the Barani areas where farmers often let their fields remain fallow in the case of failure of rains. As these herbs grow even in the most adverse of conditions, they can serve as a source of income to the farmers.