The Jharkhand government will soon set up a herbal park in Dumka on a pilot basis.

“The state government aims to promote herbal farming that, in turn, will provide livelihood opportunities to the people,” said state’s agriculture director Nisha Oraon, adding the agriculture department was already working on establishing the park and it will come up soon.

“The district horticulture officer of Dumka will invite request for proposal (RFP) in respect of the park soon after receiving an allotment order,” Oraon told The Telegraph.

She further informed that the RFP would be floated in October.

The government will also invite investment in herbal sector for setting up processing units for various types of herbal plants grown in the region.

Jharkhand is known for its flora and fauna and it is believed that many valuable herbs and plants are available in the state that are its natural treasures.

In the initial stage the authorities would collect and preserve the herbal plants available in the state and will then proceed with, in the next phase, importing exotic and rare species, the agricultural director further informed.

The proposed herbal park will have separate gardens for aromatic, spice, ornamental and cosmetic herbs at the same place that is also expected become a tourist attraction, the agriculture department hopes.

The department is also hopeful that the park will inspire people to take up herbal cultivation and also encourage investors to use of the herbs for processing to get finished herbal products.

The popularity of herbal farming in the region is also expected to enhance the prospects of setting up of processing units for various kinds of herbal products, they think.

The processing units that may eventually come up around the proposed herbal park are units for extraction and distillation of herbal oil, processing aonla (amla) juice, aloe vera juice and jelly, ginger and turmeric drying, making herbal shampoo and soap and also those for making organic fertiliser, the departmental officials said.

Though earlier proposals for opening a herbal park in Ranchi fell through, the capital city has Nakshatra Van, a garden of important medicinal plants, near the Raj Bhavan that was established at the behest of one of former governors of the state.