Kochi, India (CU)_ As part of the Government of India’s Science Heritage Analysis Initiative (SHRI) to safeguard the rich tribal heritage and ethnic information of the country, the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) has launched a major project to assist the common businesses of tribal communities in Kerala’s Wayanad district. According to the official announcement, the primary objective of the project is to preserve the rich tribal heritage through several scientific interventions with the cooperation of tribal groups.
Under the participative plan, tribal self-help groups were established in designated areas of the Wayanad District, where resources were available and people were expected to revitalize their culture and history. On initiating the project, Prof. Chandrabhas Narayana, director of the RGCB, opened the lemongrass oil extraction plant at Valad in Thavinjal Panchayat and a rice processing unit at Peechamkode in Vellamunda Panchayat.
Lemongrass oil production is an ancient business among most of the tribal populations of Kerala, who live near the grassland regions of Wayanad and Idukki. According to Professor Narayana, by implementing the steam distillation system, the process of extraction becomes more efficient and the unit members would receive more financial revenues, thereby enhancing their quality of life.
RGCB is an autonomous organization under the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, with its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. According to reports, the effort of the RGCB will immediately profit 40 tribal families, and the unit is predicted to become a successful business model for group companies.
The rice processing plant, Harithasree ST Kootayima at Peechamkode, would aid in preserving the genetic resources of traditional paddy varieties at Wayanad. The RGCB assists them in cultivating the regular rice types on around 7 hectares of land and creating a gene bank of 19 traditional varieties. The Venture Crew provides standard paddy seeds, a standard facility center, and paddy processing machinery with rubber-buffered hullers.
Narayana inaugurated the facility in Peechamkode. During an event on the Paramoola Kurichya tribal household in Peechamkode, Narayana also introduced the ‘Gau Mithra App’ on cattle diseases and their traditional treatments, which was created by the RGCB’s Tribal Heritage Venture team.
