Staff Reporter
KALPETTA
The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) has launched a major project to support the traditional enterprises of tribal communities in the district as part of the Government of India’s Science Heritage Research Initiative (SHRI) to preserve the country’s rich tribal heritage and ethnic knowledge.
The major objective of the project is to protect the rich tribal heritage through various scientific interventions with the participation of tribal communities.
As part of the participatory approach, tribal self-help groups were formed in identified locations of the district, where the resources were available and the communities were interested to revamp their tradition and heritage.
Taking the project forward, Prof. Chandrabhas Narayana, Director, RGCB, inaugurated a lemongrass oil extraction unit at Valad in Thavinjal panchayat and a paddy processing unit at Peechamkode in Vellamunda panchayat recently .
Prof. Narayana also released the ‘Gau Mithra App’ on cattle diseases and their traditional cures, developed by the RGCB’s Tribal Heritage Project team at a function held at the Paramoola Kurichya tribal family at Peechamkode.
“The RGCB, with the financial support of the Department of Science and Technology, is making an attempt to preserve this diminishing tradition under the SHRI programme”, Prof Narayana said.
Lemongrass oil extraction has been a long-standing enterprise among the tribal communities of the State, who reside near the grassland areas of Wayanad and Idukki districts.
By introducing the steam distillation system, the extraction process becomes more effective, and the unit members will get better economic returns to improve their quality of life, he said.
The SHG, Haritha Lemon Grass Oil Unit, has been formed for running the unit and RGCB’s Project Team supported the group by setting up a work shed and providing advanced machinery.
The initiative will directly benefit 40 tribal families, and the unit is expected to become a successful business model for community enterprises, he said.
