Medicinal plants make up the largest economic resource being tapped across the Himalayan region, but mountain peasants get to see only a tiny fraction of the profits. It is a historically secretive trade and little is known about who collects, who trades, who profits and whether there is overharvesting. Clearly, though, the economic future seems to lie not in timber, but in "minor forest products", including herbs.
In early January, while inaugurating a private herb processing and oil extraction factory at Jawabhari near Nepalganj in the western Tarai, Nepal's Minister of State for Forests and Soil Conservation Sir Mani Dhakal had this to say:
…Our country is rich in plants of medicinal value …there isa huge demand for our herbs in India as well as European countries… It is not in our advantage to export our jadibutiincrude form; not only do we lose foreign exchange but also, the poor collector in the hills does not gain anything from this. I am extremely positive that this factory(NaturalProductIndustrie4will encourage primary processing in Nepal, provide employment opportunities to Nepalis and play a role in helping to uplift the economic status ofthe villagers in mountain districts…
Everything the Minister said was, of course, correct. The value of the trade in medicinal plants of the Himalaya has never been quantified but runs to tens of millions of dollars annually. Processed exports would definitely help the Himalayan region retain more of this wealth, which is presently diverted to business firms in Indian cities and pharmaceutical companies in the West. As far as equity is concerned, the mountain peasants who are the primary collectors are getting just the crumbs that fall from a sumptuous table.