KOLKATA 13 APRIL: With the demand for cinchona having increased with US President Donald Trump strongly advocating for hydrochloroquine for treating COVID-19 patients, and the decision that the sane will be manufactured in West Bengal, the labourers of cinchona planters demanded that state government should fill up around 5,000 vacancies in various plantations in North Bengal.
The cinchona plantation is under the State Department of Food Processing Industries and Horticulture. Till 2005, it was under Commerce and Industry department .
In North Bengal, there are around 150 cinchona plantations, based in Kalimpong and Darjeeling. The cinchona planters demanded that the state government should fill up the vacancies as early as possible to meet the growing demand of quinine.
Miren Lama, co-ordinator of GJMM backed Cinchona Plantation Labourer’s Union said: “It’s a good decision that there will now be increase in the demand for cinchona, as the bark produces quinine which is required for anti -malarial drug required to treat COVID-19 patients. But we feel that the state government should fill up the vacancies in the the plantations.”
The plantation was established in the foothills of Darjeeling in 1862 to produce anti-malarial quinine from the barks of cinchona trees. It became the backbone of the hills, but in 70s it started facing a challenge following the introduction of the synthetic quinine. Quine is also used to produce anti- caner drug and anti-diarroheal drugs.
Mr Lama also said that under their union they had got 35 plantations and there are around 1,500 vacancies in all levels starting from supervisor to officer and demanded that the post be filled as early as possible so that the work can be completed on time to meet the demand for quinine. The state government should rehabilitate and modernise our organisations .
According to various planters, after the decline in the case of malaria from 2009, there has been a steady fall in the supply of quinine and we are producing other materials from cinchona to meet the needs.
Senior officials of GJMM said that they have already spoken to various planters and they are drafting a comprehensive plan on the number of planters required for producing excess quinine and they will inform the matter to the state government accordingly.
Sarjan Gurung , general secretary of GJMM, said: “We have already spoken with the planters and they are ready to produce extra quinine for meeting the demand.”