Damauli. Devghat Rural Municipality has started commercial cultivation of snake smell, a rare plant. The Madhuban Community Forest Users Committee of Devghat-5 has planted 8,000 saplings of snake rhinos on four ropanis of land for the first time in the district. Division Forest Office has invested Rs 400,000 and community forest group Rs 110,000 to plant the saplings, according to group chair Dilliram Adhikari.

Chakravarti Community Forest Group has planted 4,000 saplings and Raniban group has planted 1,000 saplings. The community forest, which used to plant wood-based plants earlier, is now planting snake-smell plants, which are considered as important and rare plants. Kalika Community Forest of Devghat-5 and Sunjhankri Community Forest of Ward No. 1 have started protecting the snake smell.

Chairman of Madhuban Community Forest Users Group, Adhikari, said that commercial farming has been done after understanding the importance and utility of snake smell. He said that the cultivation has also been done to increase the income of the community forest.

Chairman of Chakravarti Community Forest Group, Tuknath Adhikari, said that snake smell, which is a valuable herb, has been cultivated by tearing the bushes grown in the forest. Federation of Community Forest Users Gandaki Province Secretary Keshab Chandra Neupane said the community forests should look for different sources of income.

Krishna Prasad Bhatta, chief of sub-division forest office Devghat, said it was possible to do commercial cultivation of snake after informing the consumers of the forest group about the importance of snake smell. “Earlier, many people thought it was a bush and used to destroy it. Community forests have now started commercial farming after being informed about the importance and usefulness of snake smell. ’

According to Bhatta, it is not possible to cultivate snake rhinoceros only on land located at an altitude of 200 to 500 meters, so it is not possible for the community forests of other wards except ward no. 1 and 5 of Devghat to cultivate it. He said that the main plant-based chemicals like reperpine, serpentine and azmaline, etc. in the roots of snake smell are also useful in diseases like high blood pressure, sleeplessness, depression, mental stimulation and kidney, so it will be used as a harmless natural medicine.

He said that commercial farming was done for the first time in Devghat and it was purchased from Janakpur and Sarlahi at the rate of Rs 50 per sapling. Snake smell is one of the 30 types of herbs that the government has prioritized for economic prosperity. The customs rate for its export has been fixed at Rs 50 per kg. If it is properly protected, the community forest of Devghat will be able to earn millions of rupees annually from the sale of snake-smell roots after two years.