Bhubaneswar: The 18th State-level Kalinga Herbal Fair, 2025, will begin December 10 at Unit-III IDCO Exhibition Ground here and continue till December 16.
The fair will be inaugurated by Forest, Environment & Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia, who will attend the event as the chief guest.
Senior officials, including Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahu, PCCF and HoFF Suresh Pant, PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Prem Kumar Jha, and SMPB Chief Executive Karthick V, will also be present.
Organised by the State Medicinal Plants Board (SMPB), Odisha, under the Forest, Environment & Climate Change department, the annual event, held since 2008, has grown into a key platform for forest protection committee members, farmers, traditional healers (vaidyas), medicinal plant collectors, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, voluntary outfits and self-help groups (SHGs).
The seven-day fair will feature 130 stalls and over 260 participants from Odisha and other states.
Regional Kalinga Herbal Fairs will also be held in Rairangpur, Keonjhar and Malkangiri under the supervision of the respective local divisional forest officers (DFOs).
The event will include sales and exhibitions of medicinal plants and herbal products, free health consultations by government Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic doctors, and cultural programmes every evening from 7 pm to 9 pm.
The primary objectives of the event are to strengthen coordination, business, education and awareness among stakeholders in the medicinal plants sector and to promote traditional AYUSH systems of treatment.
The fair will also offer free treatment and health guidance to visitors.
A series of thematic activities has been lined up for the week. A Medicinal Plants Quiz will be organised for government High School students December 11.
A Women’s Convention on Rooftop Nutrition Gardens will be held December 12, followed by a debate competition December 13.
The Medicinal Plant Farmers’ Convention is scheduled for December 14, while a Traditional Healers’ Workshop will take place December 15.
An online quiz competition for students will also remain open throughout the fair period.
Last year, renowned companies such as Dabur, Emami, Arya Vaidyasala Kottakkal, Baidyanath, Multani and Basic Ayurveda participated in the fair, generating a total business of Rs 1,02,89,600. With higher participation expected this year, the turnover is projected to cross Rs 2 crore.
