Chiretta plant: Healing bodies and income in Nepal

The World Food Programme and local NGOs are helping Nepalese villagers grow herbs to supplement their incomes. Specifically, they are growing the chiretta plant, which is known for its medical qualities and can be exported for use in other South Asian countries like India. The herb is used to ward off fevers, skin diseases, intestinal worms, and bronchial asthma. It has also been used to heal burns, regulate the bowels and cure hiccups.

"The plant used to be plentiful in the nearby forests and we would pick it for our own consumption and to sell," said Sal Bahadur Rawal, supervisor of the nursery. It is a real income earner. While a kilo of millet costs 20 rupees (about 26 US cents), a kilo of chiretta costs 200 rupees (US$2.66), 10 times the amount.

Most of the farmers used to sell their chiretta crop to Nepalese middlemen who would transport the herb by helicopter and resell it in India. Now, after a particularly bad harvest season in 2008, they are selling it themselves.

"It will take three years for the plant to grow to full size and to harvest," said Rawal, chairman of the nursery construction committee, adding that while some of the produce would be used for home consumption, most would be exported to India.

"After three years, one household can earn as much as 30,000 [$400] to 40,000 rupees [$533] per year from the sale," according to nursery supervisor Sal Bahadur Rawal.

More info: southasia.oneworld.net