In a first, India takes up cultivation of Heeng: What you need to know
Asafoetida, or heeng, is an everyday condiment used in an Indian kitchen. There's hardly any Indian household that doesn't use the valuable spice. Many do not know that the condiment was not grown in the country till last week when it was taken up for cultivation for the first time. Until now, it was being imported and could not take its root in India. However, this is about to change.
Scientists at the CSIR - Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur, have started cultivating heeng for the first time in the state, and ofcourse, the country. The first seedling of the asafoetida was planted in village Kwaring of Lahaul valley on October 15, marking initiation of its cultivation in India.
According to government data, India imports about 1,200 tonnes of raw heeng worth Rs 600 crore from Iran, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. However, India had once attempted to procure asofoetida seeds between 1963 and 1989, the ICAR - National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi, said. It was in 2017 that the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource approached NBPGR with an experimental project idea to cultivate heeng in the Indian Himalayas.
The plant prefers cold and dry conditions for its growth and takes approximately five years for the production of oleo-gum resin in its roots, therefore cold desert areas of Indian Himalayan region are suitable for its cultivation of asafoetida, said the CSIR, under which the IHBT comes.
Lack of planting material of ferula asafoetida plants in India was, however, a major bottleneck in cultivation of this crop.
CSIR-IHBT brought in seeds of asafoetida and made relentless efforts for introduction of this important crop in the country.
The institute introduced six accessions of seeds from Iran through ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR), New Delhi in October 2018. ICAR-NBPGR confirmed that in the past thirty years, this has been the first attempt for introduction of asafoetida seeds in the country.
CSIR-IHBT raised the plants of heeng at CeHAB, Ribling, Lahaul & Spiti, under the vigil of the NBPGR.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced the introduction and cultivation of heeng in the state in his budget speech, on March 6 this year.
An MoU between CSIR-IHBT and Himachal's Agriculture Department was signed on June 6, forjoint collaboration for the cultivation of heeng in the State. A capacity building programme was organized for officers of the department in July.
(With IANS inputs)
