Recently, the first flowering of Heeng (Asafoetida) on Indian soil marked a historic achievement. CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology CSIR-IHBT), Palampur, introduced this high-value spice crop for cultivation in our country through the ICAR-NBPGR (National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources), New Delhi. This breakthrough is the result of persistent efforts, taking it from seed procurement, germination standardisation, tissue culture, to farmer training. This is a long-term effort with constant monitoring, and the institute overcame significant biological and logistical challenges, which ultimately led to the first flowering and seed set of heeng at Palampur, approximately five years after the initial planting. This milestone confirms the successful adaptation of this valuable spice, heeng, to the Himalayan conditions of the nation. Flowering is a key step toward establishing a domestic seed production chain, which reduces reliance on imports and enables scalable cultivation.

The journey began with the realisation of the economic and agricultural potential of the Heeng, which led to the initiation of the mission to introduce Heeng cultivation. This effort was made to reduce import dependency and increase farmer incomes in the cold desert regions of the Indian Himalayas, particularly in Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. As a trial, Heeng was planted for the first time on 18 October 2020 at Lahaul and Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh at an altitude of about 11 thousand feet above sea level. Earlier, CSIR-IHBT procured seeds of six accessions of asafoetida on 25 October 2018 and 4 December 2018 vide import permit Nos. 318/2018 & 409/2018, respectively. The institute started growing these seeds under the vigil of NBPGR, New Delhi, marking it was then the first effort in the country in the last 29 years.

Heeng is a widely used common ingredient in almost everyone’s kitchen. It is the flavour of many Indian cuisines. In spite of being such a popular crop, it is not produced in India, but rather imported from Afghanistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan. The Heeng is a perennial plant that is native to the deserts of Iran and the hills of Afghanistan. In these places, it is grown in considerable amounts. However, the initiatives taken by CSIR-IHBT aimed at addressing the associated challenges, reduce import dependency, and empower farmers in the Himalayan region.