Himachal to promote cinnamon plantation in five districts

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 28

The government will encourage farmers in the lower areas to undertake commercial cultivation of cinnamon as a pilot project in Una.

The project will pave the way for its commercial cultivation even though some species of cinnamomum genus are growing naturally in the wild forests. Cinnamomum verum, also called sweet wood, thrives well as a forest tree at 300-350 mts.

700 saplings planted

• Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Kangra and Sirmaur districts, having hot and humid climate with moderate temperature, are best suited for the cultivation
• 600 to 700 saplings have been planted. A target has been fixed to distribute 40,000-50,000 plants of cinnamon verum every year free of cost to farmers

“About 1,000 farmers will be trained for undertaking commercially cultivated high-yielding varieties like navashree, konkan tej, yercaud 1, and nithyashree known for delicate aroma and spicy flavour,” said Virender Kanwar, Agriculture Minister.

He said the first sapling of cinnamon verum was planted at Kholin village in the district. The pilot project is being jointly implemented by the Agriculture Department and the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) on a pilot basis in association with the ICAR’s Indian Institute of Spice Research, Calicut, Kerala.

Around 200 hectares will be brought under the cinnamon cultivation in five years in Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Kangra and Sirmaur districts having hot and humid climate with moderate temperature and rainfall of 1,750-3,500 mm per annum.

A CSIR-IHBT team trained farmers on the cinnamon cultivation and established a cinnamon demonstration plot in Una.

There is a huge demand for it even from abroad as it is used in a big way in baking. Cinnamon is a versatile spice which can be added to any food item such as salads, confectionaries, beverages, soups, stews and sauces. Besides its culinary usage, it has important medicinal applications.