Himachal Pradesh becomes first Indian state to begin organised cultivation of Cinnamon

Cinnamon cultivation in Himachal Pradesh has been introduced by CSIR’s Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) on a pilot basis.

Organised Cinnamon cultivation in Himachal Pradesh was launched on 29 September 2021, with State Agriculture Minister Virendra Kanwar planting the first sapling in the Una district.

India imports 45,318 tonnes of Cinnamon annually from Sri Lanka, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Nepal. Of the 45,318 tonnes of imports, 37, 166 tonnes of Cinnamomum cassia (species banned in various countries) are imported by India from China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

On the occasion, the director of CSIR-IHBT informed that as much as 2000 hectares of the area was under Cinnamomum Verum cultivation in Kerala but was in an unorganized sector.

CSIR-IHBT Introduces Dalchini (Cinnamomum verum) for the First Time in HP. The first sapling was planted by Hon. Minister of Agri & Rural Dev, HP, Sh. Virender Kanwar at Vill Kholin, Distt. Una in presence of Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Director, CSIR-IHBT & staff from IHBT & Dept of Agri. pic.twitter.com/2Eko6okfg0

— CSIR-IHBT (@CSIR_IHBT) September 29, 2021

Significance:

If successful, the organized cultivation of cinnamon will be launched on a commercial scale which will further cut down India’s import of cinnamon worth Rs. 909 crores per annum.

Key details about Cinnamon:

• Cinnamon, most commonly known as Dalchini, is an evergreen bushy tree whose bark is primarily used as a spice.

• In addition to its culinary uses in European and Asian recipes, cinnamon has critical applications in medicines as well as in boosting immunity. The true Cinnamon is derived from Cinnamomum Verum.

• Cinnamomum Verum or True Cinnamon is grown mainly in Sri Lanka, while the minor producing countries include Madagascar, Seychelles, and India (unorganised sector).

Cinnamomum Cassia is yet another species that is used in place of true Cinnamon. However, it has high coumarin content which is not good for the health and the variety has been banned in the United States, European Union, and Ireland.

Even though the true Cinnamon is derived from Cinnamomum Verum, the majority of Cinnamon being sold in the market is derived from Cinnamomum Cassia.

Organised cultivation of Cinnamon in Himachal Pradesh:

• The Director of CSIR-IHBT, Dr. Sanjay Kumar, during the launch of Cinnamon cultivation, said that realizing that the large import of Cinnamon in India is of Cinnamomum Cassia and Cinnamomum Verum, the institute had the ecological niche modeling of Cinnamomum Verum and identified the potential areas for cultivation of Cinnamon.

• As per the Institute’s data, the districts of Una, Kangra, Bilaspur, Sirmour, and Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh have the potential areas for its cultivation.

• HP, with the cultivation of Cinnamomum Verum, has become the first state in India to have organized cultivation of Cinnamon.

• In the initial phase, the government plans to plant as many as 600 to 700 plants of true dalchini.