Another Alternative Crop For Tobacco Farmers

Source from:  RANTAU PANJANG, Oct 25 (Bernama) 10/30/2006

The National Tobacco Board (LTN) plans to introduce the Safed Musli herbal plant to enable tobacco farmers to switch to a crop that brings better returns. LTN Chairman Datuk Mohd Zain Ismail said dry Safed Musli could be sold for RM40 per kg compared to the RM15 per kg the farmers earned from the sale of tobacco. Safed Musli is a potent herb whose root tubers have been in use for aphrodisiac and health promotion purposes since the 11th century in India. Mohd Zain said the plant has been cultivated on 15 hectares in Melaka under am experimental programme as well as to obtain the seedlings. Safed Musli is highly sought in the European and American markets for the production of traditional medicine. The herb is considered to be more potent than the local Tongkat Ali and Kacip Fatimah varieties of herbs. Mohd Zain also said that a local company was conducting a study on the herb with the co-operation of an Indian company with a view to going into commercial production. "Once the cultivated area reaches 1,200 hectares, the Indian company will build a plant in Malaysia to process the herb," he said. Last year LTN introduced the Kenaf plant to tobacco farmers but cultivation of this crop, which can be processed into animal fodder, coarse cloth and paper, has not reached commercial proportions. Enditem