Lagos — Coordinator of the Roll-Back-Malaria Project in Delta State, Dr Francis Onojeta, has appealed to Indian Hemp farmers to cultivate Artemisia herb, for the production of anti-malaria drugs, instead of the narcotic plant.

Onojeta told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba, that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) should liaise with Indian hemp farmers and advise them to cultivate Artemisia as a substitute, adding that "we need to encourage local research into herbs.

Artemisia is a local herb in China that is used as tea. State governments and local government councils should encourage their local farmers to plant Artemisia annually," he said.

Onojeta noted that there was a lot of money in cultivating Artemisia, saying that "it is a cash crop that is used in the production of the Artemisin Combination Therapy (ACT) drugs and advised the National Malaria Control Programme to liaise with the NDLEA and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in an effort to motivate farmers to cultivate Artemisia.