Ayush Ministry Taken Steps to Encourage Cultivation of Medicinal Plants

According to the study titled 'Medicinal Plants in India: An Assessment of their Demand and Supply, Ved and Goraya (2017)' conducted by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and supported by the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), the annual demand for herbs / medicinal plants in the country in 2014-15 was estimated to be around 5,12,000 Metric Tonnes.

According to the study, approximately 1178 medicinal plant species are recorded in trade practices, of which 242 species are traded in high volume of more than 100 MT per annum.

Further examination of these 242 species revealed that 173 (72%) are collected from wild sources. This information was provided by Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ayush, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

From the fiscal year 2015-16 to 2020-21, the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, implemented the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the National Ayush Mission (NAM) to promote the cultivation of Medicinal Plants throughout the country.

The following items were supported under the Medicinal Plants component of the National Ayush Mission (NAM) scheme:

• Cultivation of prioritized medicinal plants on farmer’s land.

• Establishment of nurseries with backward linkages for raising and supply of quality planting material.

• Post-harvest management with forward linkages.

• Primary processing, marketing infrastructure etc.

From the fiscal year 2015-16 to 2020-21, the Ministry of Ayush has supported the cultivation of medicinal plants on an area of 56,305 hectares across the country.

The National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, is currently implementing a Central Sector Scheme on "Conservation, Development, and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants," which supports the following activities:

• In-situ conservation / Ex-situ conservation

• Linkages with Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) / Panchayats / Van Panchayats / Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) / Self Help Groups (SHGs).

• IEC activities like Training / Workshops / Seminars/ Conferences etc.

• Research & Development.

• Promotion, marketing and trade of medicinal plants produce.