New Delhi : Leading Ayurvedic FMCG firm Dabur has tied up with DRDO to promote sustainable cultivation of high-altitude medicinal plants in Ladakh.

Dabur India has signed a pact with DRDO's unit Defense Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Leh, under which both organisations will educate farmers and help enhance livelihood opportunities in the cold desert area.

DIHAR Director Bhuvanesh Kumar said: "The first step towards the goal of implementing conservation & environmental development benefits in Leh-Ladakh will be a baseline survey of the area for cultivation of highly endangered medicinal plant species."

Dabur India Head Healthcare Research Dr JLN Sastry said: "We are pleased to be the initiator of this developmental programme, which will not only help in growing and cultivating high altitude medicinal plants to prepare Ayurvedic medicines but also provide an alternative source of income to the farmers living in the often neglected high altitude mountain areas."

Under this tie-up with the unit of Defence Research & Development Organisation, Dabur will also impart training to the villagers on sustainable cultivation of herbs.

Jivanti Welfare and Charitable Trust (JWCT), Dabur India Ltd's CSR arm, had approached DIHAR & Pragya an NGO operating from Leh-Ladakh, with the primary focus on helping the local community in Leh-Ladakh while also augmenting the population of medicinal herbs in the country.