In recent days, there has been an increasing interest in the study of medicinal plants, their traditional use and related pharmacological research all over the world. Recently, Uttara Kannada, a district in Karnataka, has been making headlines for growing different kinds of medicine plants.
According to reports, Prakash Bhatt Ademane is the main man behind growing medicine plants in this area. In Uttara Kannada, they are cultivating unique medicinal plants in Ashokavana in this forest. The British government was giving hill land for agricultural use to the farmers of Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district, and they got 9 acres of hill land for 1 acre of nut plantation. Prakash Bhatt and his brother Prasad Bhatt have used the land to cultivate medicinal plants there without nurturing them for their own gain.
According to reports, they are growing 400 types of medicinal plants in this forest, like Shatavari, Jayanti, Ekanayaka, Long Pepper, Vidanga, Kadamba, Karaveera, Gmelina arborea, Cluster fig, Khadira, Cannonball tree, Punarnava, Ekke, Durva, Galanga, Curcuma aromatica, Sampige, Parijata, Madhunashini, and many others.
Apart from this, they also grow 50 different types of fruits, including Amruthaballi, Ankol, Agnimantha, Agnishikha, Daruharidra, Dates, Murugalu, Garcinia gummi-gutta, Sahadevi, Achyranthes aspera, and many types of Tulsi.
Out of all 15 existing plants that are being used commercially, they are getting 3–4 per month in income from them, and that too without spending a penny! The achievement of making a three-level forest, Ashokavana, Yogavana, and Sahaja Krishi forest, and taking care of the forest is truly unique!
In terms of agriculture, the chief crops of the district are rice and areca nuts, along with a great diversity of other crops. Tree crops include coconut, sugarcane, cocoa, cashew, mango, banana, pineapple, garcinia, jackfruit, and sapota; vegetables include onion, radish, cucumber, cauliflower, sweet potato, eggplant (brinjal), and amaranth; spices include pepper, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg. Millet and cotton are grown in the drier portion of the district east of the Western Ghats.
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