Spices are an integral part of the economy of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indian Bay Leaf, popularly called as tejpat or tejpatta, is an important tree spice that is widely being used in the preparation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines. It is equally popular in the household as well as commercial cooking. Islands being a tourist dominated economy, promotion of this crop would not only help in boosting income levels of the island farmers but would also provide quality produce to the local hoteliers.
In order to promote cultivation of spice crops, adoption of improved techniques is imperative. Quality planting material being the major prerequisite in the scientific cultivation, it is desirable for the islands to be self-sufficient in planting material production. Interestingly, tejpat being a native species of the foothills of the Himalayas doesn’t flower or set fruits in the island conditions unlike cinnamon- a botanically closely related spice grown in the islands. In such condition, traditional seed propagation in tejpat, which is easily possible in other parts of the country is not possible in the islands.
In order to address this issue, researchers at ICAR-CIARI- Dr. Ajit Arun Waman and Dr. Pooja Bohra standardized the technique of air layering in tejpat. However, this technique is season-bound in nature; that means, it could be carried out with high success only during rainy season. In order to break this season-dependency barrier, the team further developed a novel approach of round the year planting material production- christened as Dweep Goottee 365. This technique has been proven to help in off-season planting material production in a number of other horticultural crops as well. Further, ICAR-CIARI has developed the first improved variety of tejpat in the country- Dweep Tej 1. For multiplication of such elite material, these techniques are mandatory.
In order to transfer these scientific advancements for the benefit of the farming community, ICAR-CIARI organized a need-based training programme entitled ‘Dweep Goottee 365 Technology for Multiplication of Indian Bay Leaf’ on October 14, 2026 for the officials of the Department of Agriculture, UT Administration based on the request received from the department.
During the programme, Dr. Ajit Arun Waman, Course Director described the advantages of Dweep Goottee 365 technique over conventional air layering technique. Participants were given hand on exposure to both the techniques besides providing detailed information on maintenance of mother plants, use of appropriate rooting hormones, post-separation handling of rooted layers, maintenance of microclimate, plant protection in nursery etc. Participants were taken to different types of protected structures in the Horticultural Plants Propagation Unit of the Institute being used for different stages of propagation.
The practical sessions were followed by an interaction session. During this session, participants discussed the technical problems being faced by them in propagation of various spices including Indian Bay Leaf, to which appropriate solutions were suggested by Dr. Pooja Bohra and Dr. Ajit Waman. During the valedictory programme, Dr. Jai Sunder, Director (A), ICAR-CIARI interacted with the participants and encouraged them to utilize the knowledge gained during the programme in their respective working areas to benefit the farmers in the far flung islands. The event was attended by twenty-one participants from all three districts of the islands.