Spice Council to promote Vetiver and Basil

Picture shows D. A. Perera handing over the plants to Dr. D. B. T. Wijeratne, Chairman of Coconut Research Board. Sarada de Silva, Immediate Past Chairman of TSC is also in the picture.

D. A. Perera, Chairman of The Spice Council recently handed over vetiver (savandara) and basil (maduruthala) planting material to Dr. D B T Wijeratne, Chairman, Coconut Research Board and Mr. Lionel Gunaratne, Deputy Director of Department of Export Agriculture to research on its commercial viability.

The Spice Council said in a statement it intends to promote planting of vetiver and basil as the demand for these crops is increasing rapidly in the international market. Once the CRB and DEA complete the research, The Spice Council will take steps to promote commercial cultivation of these crops. This project is part of The Spice Council’s vision to develop new crops, it said.