Mediplant PDF

CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF
MEDICINAL PLANTS
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Interest and support for the conservation and development of medicinal plants is
increasing in all parts of the world. This is due, in part, to a growing recognition given
to the role of medicinal plants in the provision of culturally relevant and affordable
health care in creating sustainable livelihoods and in the vital conservation of
biodiversity. This has also drawn the attention of the world community towards the
need for creating mechanisms to ensure sustained development of the sector and
to allow sharing of information between countries, organizations and agencies.
As per World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, almost 80% of the population of
developing countries relies on traditional medicines, mostly plant drugs, for their
primary health care needs. In fact it is well known that even in developed countries,
the use of traditional medicines is quite prevalent. Also, modern pharmacopoeia still
contains at least 25% drugs derived from plants and many others which are synthetic
analogues built on prototype compounds isolated from plants. Demand for
medicinal plants is increasing in both developing and developed countries due to
growing recognition of natural products being non-narcotic, having no side-effects,
easily available at affordable prices and sometime the only source of health care
available to the poor.
In India, Medicinal plants sector has traditionally occupied an important position in

the socio cultural, spiritual and medicinal arena of rural and tribal lives. Recognizing
its importance, the Government of India established the Department of Indian
System of Medicine and Homoeopathy, and more recently the Medicinal Plants
Board to develop, promote and regulate the sector for maximizing the benefits to
the people as well as to ensure sustainable growth. Medicinal plants have been
identified as one of the thrust areas by the Ministry and different programmes have
been initiated for conservation of medicinal plants found in the forests and
protected areas as well as cultivation of these plants in the degraded forest areas.
Kerala has been at the forefront of ayurvedic revolution in the country, endowed
with rich biodiversity because of its natural topography comprising of all three
biomes – hills, plateaus and coasts. The state government has established R&D and
Agri Export Zone 1 Cebeco India Private Limited
Your Partner in Agri-business
educational infrastructure for further developing the science of traditional medicine,
and also took the lead in promoting health tourism which has been equally popular
among Indian as well as foreign tourists.
1.2 Objectives
In view of the above, this study has been commissioned to assess the feasibility of
setting up an Agri Export Zone in Kerala for Medicinal Plants in Kerala.
The specific issues to be covered are:
§ World market overview (products, world trade, existing and potential markets,
requirements of quality, etc.)
§ Overview of the Indian scenario, with specific reference to Kerala
§ Backward linkages for export market driven production, pre and post-harvest
practices, R&D requirements, etc.
§ Analysis of the infrastructure requirement
§ Strategies for market penetration & niche marketing
§ Constraints and support required
1.3 Methodology
In order to arrive at the most feasible model for Agri Export Zone, the following
approach has been adopted:
§ Current status of various medicinal plants in India was analyzed to understand

the availability (wild as well as cultivated), production capabilities for herbal
products, infrastructure available, export volumes, direction of trade, etc.
§ A survey was carried out to study the present agronomical practices being
adopted by collectors and growers, type of processing facilities and related
infrastructure available, etc. This was taken into consideration while working out
the concept of Agri Export Zone.
§ Discussions were held with exporters and importers of medicinal plants and
herbal products, to understand the dynamics of the world market, strengths and
weaknesses of Indian produce with respect to the world demand, etc.
§ Discussions were also held with eminent scientists in government and research
institutions to gather insights into the nature of research projects being
undertaken and technical/financial assistance being provided to farmers for
encouraging the production of medicinal plants, both in terms of quantity and
quality.
§ Secondary Data Research: The secondary data comprising of world trade
statistics, trends in trade, development of new varieties, import regulations,
quality standards, domestic production etc. were compiled. The data on world
trade and India’s production, imports and exports statistics etc. were collected
from the libraries of research organizations, institutions, journals, magazines, and
internet and through foreign associates.
The consultants have tried to collect latest data from a number of sources, which
forms the basis of export targets and strategy to achieve these targets. A list of
contacts made during the survey is enclosed at Annexure 1.
1.4 Agri Export Zone Study – The Structure
This Agri Export Zone study report incorporates the findings from the investigations
and studies undertaken towards evolving an integrated approach for export
promotion of medicinal plants and products from Kerala.
The report essentially deals with four major components, which constitute different
sections of the report.
§ Firstly, trends in world trade and Indian scenario have been analysed, covering
the sources of demand and supply, and prevalent international prices. An in-
depth analysis has been undertaken with a view to identify the constraints/weak
links in the chain.
§ Secondly, export potential has been worked out, based on the analysis of world
market and India’s capabilities.
§ Thirdly, an action plan has been recommended, outlining steps required to
achieve export targets, covering all aspects of growing (pre & post harvest),
collection, processing, packaging, storage and transportation etc. in line with the
requirements of international markets.
§ Lastly, a model of the proposed Agri Export Zone in Kerala has been elaborated
including geographical location, various activities, role of various agencies
involved, and financial implications thereof.
2. World Scenario
2.1 Definitions/Nomenclature
Generally the terms “medicinal plants” and “herbs” are used interchangeably. The
traditional or popular name of medicinal plants varies from country to region
depending on the historical and cultural aspects.
Recognizing these variations, WHO has provided the following definitions for
reference only (Methodologies for Research and Ev aluation of Herbal Medicines,
2001):
Herbs include crude plant material such as leaves, flowers, fruit, seed, stems, wood,
bark, roots, rhizomes or other plant parts, which may be entire, fragmented or
powdered.
Herbal materials include, in addition to herbs, fresh juices, gums, fixed oils, essential
oils, resins and dry powders of herbs. These include “processing” by various local
procedures such as steaming, roasting, baking with honey or other materials.
Herbal preparations are produced from herbal materials by extraction, fractionation,
purification, concentration, or other physical or biological processes.
Finished herbal products consist of herbal preparations made from one or more
herbs.
Herbal medicines include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations and finished
herbal products, used for medicinal purposes. The term traditional medicine refers
to the traditional use of herbal medicines. Their use is well established and widely
acknowledged to be safe and effective, and may be accepted by national
authorities.
The definitions in the field of Traditional medicine, also referred to as alternative

medicine or complementary medicine in some countries, differ from country to
country depending upon the regulations in each country.
Based on the above definitions it can be inferred that medicinal plants are in fact
herbs, which are used for preparation/formulation of traditional medicinal products.
Medicinal plants therefore represent one of the major categories within the herbs /
herbal products, the other important categories being health/nutrition supplements,

perfumery/aromatic products and beauty/cosmetic/toiletry products. Accordingly,
for the purpose of this report, all information /data about herbs and herbal products
has been assumed to be referring to medicinal plants.
2.2 Market Characteristics
It is well established that traditional medicine has been widely used all over the
world for centuries. However, the extent and forms have varied. Even in the present
context, a majority of the population worldwide, has used traditional medicine at
least once, mostly for minor and/or chronic ailments. Although only a few countries
officially recognize the traditional forms of medicine, a fairly large percentage of
licensed allopathic practitioners, even in developed countries, have incorporated
the traditional medicines in their prescriptions. One of the major factors, which may
result in an explosive growth of traditional medicine, would be its inclusion under
insurance reimbursements.
The prevalence and acceptance of various forms of traditional medicine in various

countries, is summarized below:
Table 2.1: Status of traditional medicine in various countries
Country/ % using Forms of traditional medicine Regulatory situation
Region traditional recognized
medicine
Africa 70-80% African traditional forms of None in most countries. Some
healing, chiropractic, countries such South Africa,
osteopathy Congo, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe etc.
have included traditional medicine
in legislations governing practice
and insurance
USA 42% Traditional Native North Highly evolved: Regulatory controls
American medicine, cover licensing, scope of practice,
Homeopathy, Acupuncture, malpractice, professional
Naturopathy, Hypnosis, Biofield discipline, third party
therapy reimbursements and access to
treatments
Canada 70% Traditional Native North Coverage by health insurance is

American medicine, selective and minimal.
Manipulative therapy, No formal recognition to traditional
Traditional Chinese medicine medicine, only Guidelines for
and Acupuncture, physicians/ practitioners
Naturopathy
France 49% Homeopathy, acupuncture, Only licensed allopathic physicians
water cure, chiropractic, allowed to practice medicine
osteopathy, thalasso therapy,
iridology
Germany 40-50% Homeopathy, acupuncture, Use of traditional medicine
procaine injection therapy, allowed only where allopathic
chiropractic, ozone and treatment is not available or has
Agri Export Zone oxygen therapy, 5 herbal been unsuccessful or Private
Cebeco India has side
Limited
oxygen therapy, herbal been unsuccessful or has side
medicines, massage and cell effects
therapy
Italy 24% Homeopathy, acupuncture, Only licensed allopathic physicians
herbal remedies, prana allowed to practice medicine.
therapy, anthroposophic and Chiropractic is recognized as a
chiropractic therapy profession.
Netherlands Over 50% Homoeopathy, manipulative Homeopathic and anthroposophic
medicine, acupuncture, medicines are reimbursed by
naturopathy insurance
United 12% using Herbal medicines, osteopathy, Only licensed allopathic physicians
Kingdom and 70% in homeopathy, acupuncture, are recognized officially.
favour of hypnotherapy and spiritual
using healing
India 70% - Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and All are recognized under the
widely homeopathy, naturopathy, Central Council of Indian Medicine
used in yoga Act.
almost all
households
Pakistan 70% Unani, Tibb, Ayurveda and Integrated into the national health
Homeopathy system
UAE Very Herbal preparations and Registration criteria for herbal
popular products medicines
Saudi Arabia Widely Acupuncture, herbal/ All herbal preparations require
used in nutritional/ health food registration
almost all products and homeopathy
households
China widely Chinese traditional medicine Integrated with the national health
used in care system (equality in policies
almost all related to traditional and
households allopathic medicine)
Japan 70-75% Kampo medicine, Only allopathic physicians can
acupuncture, moxibustion, practice
massage/finger pressure, judo
therapy
Indonesia/ 40% (70% in Siddha, Ayurveda, Unani, Recognized as an integral part of
Malaysia rural areas) acupuncture, massage, curative and nursing care
spiritual healing
Korea Very Oriental medicine, Dual system of medical treatment
popular acupuncture, moxibustion, (oriental and allopathic). Also
chiropractics covered under insurance
Thailand Very Herbal medicines, massage, Traditional practitioners and
popular acupressure, reflexology Ayurvedic doctors are integrated
into the healthcare system
Australia 48% Traditional Chinese systems, Only registered allopathic
homeopathy, chiropractic, physicians are allowed to practice
osteopathy, naturopathy
Globally, over one and half million practitioners use traditional medicine in
preventive/promotive/curative applications.
2.3 World Market for Herbal Products

No specific estimate is available for the global market for medicinal plants- neither
individually nor even collectively. Therefore, the same has to be derived from the
figures available for broader categories such as herbal products, herbal medicines
etc. However, it is pertinent to mention here that even for these categories, the
variance in definitions and interpretations of the terms is reflected in the wide
variance seen in market size estimates available from various sources.
An EXIM Bank study on Export Potential of Ayurveda and Siddha Products & Services
estimates the global herbal products market at around US $ 62 billion, in 1997,
growing at a rate of 10% -15% per annum.
Another estimate puts the global herbal market at almost US$ 120 billion a year (The
Week, July 2002) with the share of Ayurveda being almost 50%, i.e. US$60 billion.
Assuming that this estimate is for the year 2002, it matches well with the Exim Bank
estimate for 1997, taking a compounded annual growth rate of 15%.
USA and Europe are the largest markets for herbal products, accounting for nearly
two-thirds of the total demand.
2.4 Market Segments
Herbal products can be classified into five strategic areas as under:

• Phyto-Pharmaceuticals: These are drugs containing isolated pure active
compounds derived from medicinal plants for treatment of a large number of
diseases. In 1997, the global market for Phyto–pharmaceuticals was US$ 10 billion
in 1997 and is estimated to have risen to about 13.5 billion by 2002. The projected
growth rate is 6.3% per annum.
As per another source, the world market of pharmaceuticals derived from
medicinal plants exceeds US$ 20 billion. The sales of medicinal herbs in EU
countries amounted about 3% of the total pharmaceuticals market. Details of
major consumers of herbal/Phyto pharmaceuticals are USA, Germany and UK.
Further, according to the industry, the world market for herbal drugs/medicines is
of the order of US$ 70 billion (Business Line, April 2002). This may be due to the
fact that there is a very large unorganized sector, which is not reported in official
data.
• Medicinal Botanicals / Botanical Extracts /Herbal or Dietary Supplements: These

are whole plants or plant part extracts used for maintenance of health. In 1997,
the market for Medicinal Botanicals was estimated at US $ 16.7 billion, with
Europe and North America together accounting for 63% of the world market.
The European market for herbal remedies accounts for 45% of the global market,
and stood at US $ 7.5 billion in 1997.
Individually, USA is the single largest market (US$ 4 billion) followed by Germany
(US$ 3.6 billion). France is the other most established market in Europe, with a
share of 11%.
The projected annual growth is estimated at 15-20% for European markets and as
high as 10-100% for American markets. Accordingly, the market size in 2002 is
estimated to be of the order of US$ 33-35 billion.
Table 2.2 - Market for Medicinal Botanicals / Botanical Extracts /Herbal or Dietary
Supplements 1997
Market Share (%)

(US$ billion)
Global 16.5 100
Europe 7.5 45
Germany 3.6 22
France 1.8 11
Italy 0.8 5
UK 0.5 3
Spain 0.3 2
Holland 0.1 1
Others 0.4 2
North America 4.0 (3.0) 25 (18)
Asia 4.0 (3.0) 25 (18)
Others 1.0 (3.0) 10 (18)
Source – Heritage Healing Vol. 1, No. 7, Sep 1999

Figures in brackets are from another study conducted for RIRDC, Australia, which gives same overall
figures but differs in the breakdown.
• Nutraceuticals: These are foods containing supplements from natural (botanical)

sources that deliver a specific health benefit, including prevention and treatment
of diseases. These are gaining popularity in USA and West Europe. The world
Nutraceuticals market was approx. US$ 5.5 billion in 1997, of which the market
share of Europe was US$ 1.05 billion and that of USA was US$ 3.0 billion. Assuming

a growth rate of 15% per annum, the nutraceuticals market in 2002 is estimated
at about US$ 10 billion.
• Cosmeceuticals: These are cosmetic products containing biologically active
ingredients. Annual market for these products was estimated at about US$ 10.5
billion in 1997 (US$ 2.5 billion in USA and US$ 5 billion in Europe). Based on the
overall industry growth rate, the market size in 2002 is estimated to have been
around US$ 22-25 billion.
• Herbal raw material: This is a very large market but no estimates are available.
However, based on the above estimates of various categories, the market for
raw herbal products should be about US$ 30 billion.
2.5 Production & Exports
China and India are the two largest producers of medicinal plants and account for
40% of global bio-diversity. However, China has established itself as the major
exporter of traditional herbal medicines in the world market, with exports to the tune
of US$ 5 billion per year, as against US$ around 240 million by India. India needs to
organize itself well to achieve a significant share in this growing market segment.
Almost 90% of the collection of medicinal plants is from the wild. Since 70% of plant
collections involve destructive harvesting, many plants are endangered or
vulnerable and threatened.
2.6 International Standards and Regulations
The legal situation regarding herbal preparations varies from country to country. In
some countries, phytomedicines are well established, whereas in others they are
regarded as food, and therapeutic claims are not allowed.
Developing countries, however, have a large number of traditionally used herbal

medicines and tremendous folk knowledge about them, but no significant steps
have been taken to establish these traditionally used herbal medicines as part of the
drug legislation.

World Health Organisation, Codex Alimentarius and Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are the important
world bodies for regulating the medicinal plants and herbal products market. In
addition, each country/region has its own standards and regulatory regime, as
summarized below for EU and USA, the two largest markets. More details are
provided in Annexure 2.
EU Market
In order to enter the EU market with pharmaceutical products, companies must
apply for registration of their products. This application must be accompanied by
documents that provide the results of tests and trials carried out on the product
concerned. The application and quality requirements are such that they represent
an actual regulatory and technical barrier to entering the EU market. Details are
provided in Annexure 2.
USA
The use of herbal medicines in the USA is less widespread because their wider
distribution through pharmacies is difficult because no medical benefits can be
claimed and consumers are dependent on advice from pharmacists who, in a
majority of cases, have little knowledge about medicinal herbs.
US Govt. has set up a multi-agency Herbal Medicine Import Task Force, comprising
of representatives from U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and the State Department of Health
Services.
The principal goal of the Task Force is to end illegal importation of toxic substances,
unapproved drugs posing a risk to the public health, and protected wildlife
products. In USA, sales of many Chinese patent medicines have been prohibited
due to either labeling which makes unsubstantiated claims or due to the medicines
containing illegal or legal western drugs. The Govt. has also prepared a list of
restricted and/or prohibited herbal products, including endangered species,
controlled substances, and unsafe herbs. Details are provided in Annexure 2.

3. Indian Scenario
3.1 General
India has one of the richest traditional medicine cultures in the world. Nearly 8000
species (accounting for around 50% of all the higher flowering plant species of India
– as per Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India) have been for long
known and used for their medicinal properties. Millions of households, particularly in
rural areas, use medicinal plants for self-medication, for preventive, promotive and
curative applications.
The Government of India has identified medicinal plants as one of the thrust areas,
and various programmes have been initiated for conservation of medicinal plants
found in the forests and protected areas as well as cultivation of these plants in the
degraded forest areas. Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCA) have been
established in the southern States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and
Medicinal Plants Conservation Network (MPCN) for in-situ conservation.
3.2 Market Size
The domestic market for ayurvedic, herbal and plant based products is estimated to
be around Rs. 3000 crores, growing at 15-20% p.a. The share of Ethical formulations
is only 20% of the total market, the balance 80% being accounted for by OTC
products.
The sales of crude herbal drugs and extracts are of the order of Rs. 350-400 crores.
These crude drugs & extracts are used by Pharma industry for production of OTC
products, ethical formulations, as well as traditional and home remedies.
As per an earlier Exim Bank study, the sales of medicinal plants in India in 1996-97
were Rs. 300 crores (including the requirements of traditional practitioners – vaidyas,
and home remedies), when the total herbal/ayurvedic market was Rs. 2300 crores.
Assuming the same ratio, it is estimated that the sales of medicinal plants in 2002
were around Rs. 400 crores.

Manufacture of herbal/ayurvedic products in India is more than a century old.
There are estimated to be over 7800 manufacturing units in India, the major players
being Kottakal Arya Vaidyashala, Dabur, Himalaya, Zandu and Baidyanath. It is
interesting to note that most of these leading producers are not the leading
exporters in India, because a significant portion of exports of their products takes
place through informal channels, such as users/patients carrying these as part of
baggage etc. For example, Kottakal Arya Vaidyashala, one of the oldest institutions
of Ayurveda in the world has zero exports officially.
3.3 India’s Share in World Trade
India, at present, exports herbal material and medicines to the tune of Rs. 1210
crores annually (2001-02), comprising Rs. 593 crores from saps and extracts, Rs. 370
crores from plants and plant parts, and Rs. 235 crores from Ayurvedic and Unani
medicines.
USA is the single largest export destination for Indian medicinal plants/products,
accounting for almost 50% of total exports.
India’s exports to individual EU member countries are small, but as a region the EU
represents a sizeable market for India’s exports in the sector.
Table 3.1: India’s exports of medicinal plants and herbal products

1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 Major
destinations
1211 Plants and parts of plants 268.74 191.44 357.45 370.94 USA (177);
(including seeds and fruits), of a Japan (26)
kind used primarily in perfumery,
in pharmacy or for insecticidal,
fungicidal or similar purpose,
fresh or dried, whether or not
cut, crushed or powdered
1302 Vegetable saps and extracts; 826.79 921.53 698.99 593.18 USA (299)
pectic substances, pectinates
and pectates; agar-agar and
other mucilages and thickeners,
whether or not modified, derived
from vegetable products
Preparations
30039001 Ayurvedic and Unani Medicines 34.76 36.23 96.53 92.26 USA (9.1),
Nepal (7.2),
Russia (5.7)
30039002 Homeopathic Medicines 0.37 0.67 2.19 2.03 Sri Lanka,
1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 Major
destinations
Bangladesh
30049001 Ayurvedic and Unani Medicines 98.84 108.79 124.97 147.52 USA (20.6,
for retail sales Russia (17.8),
Nepal (13.1)
30049002 Homeopathic Medicines for 1.33 3.19 8.96 3.73 Ivory Coast,
retail sales USA
TOTAL 1230.8 1261.9 1289.1 1209.7
Growth 2.5% 2.2% -6.2%
Source: DGCIS data
The above export data has been presented in three categories, according to the
extent of value addition:
• Raw form (plants and plant parts): The important medicinal plant/herbal
product exported from India is Isabgol (psyllium husk and seeds) amounting
to about Rs. 242.44 crores.
• Saps and extracts:
• Preparations (medicines): These are mainly in the form of Ayurvedic and
unani medicines. Within this category, the preparations for retail sales are
substantially higher than those for industrial end-use.
None of the above high-export items are presently grown in the state of Kerala.
Therefore, for the purpose of this report, the relevant export base in 2001-02 was
Rs. 323 crores, representing exports of medicinal plants/herbal products which
are already being grown or can be grown in Kerala, as shown in table below:
Table 3.2: India’s exports of medicinal plants and herbal products, which are
available in Kerala (Rs. Crores)
1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 Major
destinations
1211 Plants and parts of plants (including seeds and fruits), of a kind used primarily in
perfumery, in pharmacy or for insecticidal, fungicidal or similar purpose, fresh or
dried, whether or not cut, crushed or powdered
12119043 Gymnema powder 0.78 1.08 1.11 0.49 USA

12119033 Camboge fruit rind 0 0 0.059 0.04 UAE
12112003 Galangal rhizomes and roots 0.29
0.75 0.33 0.96 UAE
12119096 Garcenia 0 0 0 0

12119026 Ayurvedic & unani herbs N.E.S 39.75 18.51 22.5 31.69 USA (8.7)
1302 Vegetable saps and extracts; pectic substances, pectinates and pectates; agar-
agar and other mucilages and thickeners, whether or not modified, derived from
vegetable products
13021917 Of gymnema 2.39 2.96 2.15 0.6 USA
13021918 Of cambodge 36.31 49.39 45.01 44.05 USA (30.86),
Japan (6.7)
Preparations
30039001 Ayurvedic and Unani Medicines 34.76 36.23 96.53 92.26 USA (9.1),
Nepal (7.2),
Russia (5.7)
30039002 Homeopathic Medicines 0.37 0.67 2.19 2.03 Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh
30049001 Ayurvedic and Unani Medicines 98.84 108.79 124.97 147.52 USA (20.6,
for retail sales Russia (17.8),
Nepal (13.1)
30049002 Homeopathic Medicines for 1.33 3.19 8.96 3.73 Ivory Coast,
retail sales USA
Total 214.82 221.57 303.81 323.37
Growth 3.1% 37.1% 6.4%
There was a significant increase of 37% in exports in the year 2000-01, mainly due to
increase in exports of value added products, namely Ayurvedic and Unani
medicines, for which the exports increased to Rs. 220 crore, a jump of 52% from
previous year. This increase has been sustained in the year 2001-02 as well, which is
a positive indication that Indian exporters are moving upwards on the value chain.
USA, Russia and Nepal are the important markets for these products.
Table 3.3: Exports of Ayurveda & Unani preparations (medicines) from India (Rs.
Crores)
Year Total To Russia To Germany To USA To Australia
1998-99 130 9 2.7 14.6 .85

1999-2000 145 16 2.7 15 3.5
2000-01 220 26 21.7 21.2 8.2
2001-02 240 23.5 29.7
Note: While exports to Germany and Australia declined in 2001-02, Nepal merged as
an important destination with exports worth Rs. 20.3 crores.
Even though Ayurveda is widely recognised as basically an Indian system, novel,

safe and economical, Indian products have NOT yet captured the world market.

However, India’s overall export performance with respect to the US market, which
has the highest demand for herbal products, has been very encouraging. In 1998,
India’s share in US imports of pharmaceutical preparations, was less than 20% of that
from China. However, by year 2002, India has increased its exports five-fold to be
almost at par with China. Even in the specific case of medicinal plants, India has
overtaken China as the leading supplier to USA.
Table 3.4 - US Import of Pharma preparations (US$ million)

Year Total From India From China
1998 16980 59.69 305.57
1999 22510 78.27 376.21
2000 27810 95.55 386.62
2001 32700 214.43 295.69
2002 40550 330.73 331.81
Source: - USA Census Bureau
Table 3.5: US Imports of Medicinal Plants (US$ million)

Year Total From India From China
1999 133 20.35 45
2000 132 28.78 39
2001 137 37.75 35
Source: US Census Bureau
3.4 Distribution of Medicinal Plants
Around 70% of India’s medicinal plants are found in tropical areas mostly in the
various forest types spread across the Western and Eastern ghats, the Vindhyas,
Chotta Nagpur plateau, Aravalis & Himalayas. Although less than 30% of the
medicinal plants are found in the temperate and alpine areas and higher altitudes
they include species of high medicinal value. Macro studies show that a larger
percentage of the known medicinal plants occur in the dry and moist deciduous
vegetation as compared to the evergreen or temperate habitats.
One third of these are trees, an equal portion is herbs and the remaining one third
are shrubs, grasses and climbers. A very small proportion of the medicinal plants are
lower plants like lichens, ferns algae, etc. Majority of the medicinal plant are higher
flowering plants.

Over 800 species of medicinal plants are used in production of traditional medicines
by industry. Of these about 90% are collected from the wild. Less than 20 species of
plants are under commercial cultivation. A study by ITCOT has identified the sources
of supply for major herbal raw materials required by Indian pharmaceutical
industries.
Over 70% of the plant collections involve destructive harvesting because of the use
of parts like roots, bark, wood, stem and the whole plant in case of herbs. This poses
a definite threat to the genetic stocks and to the diversity of medicinal plants if
biodiversity is not sustainably used.
While the demand for medicinal plants is growing, some of them are increasingly
being threatened in their natural habitat. For meeting the future needs conservation
and cultivation of medicinal plant is being encouraged. However, of more than 400
plant species used for production of medicines by Indian Industry, less than 20 are
currently under the cultivation in the country.
Figure 1 – Break up of medicinal plant by their parts utilised
3.5 Medicinal Plants Resource Base

Current practices of harvesting are unsustainable, resulting in depletion of resource
base. Medicinal plants based industries in India also lack a proactive and socially
responsible approach, and are therefore partly responsible for inefficient, imperfect,
informal and opportunistic marketing of medicinal plants.
Bark Wood Stem Seeds

14% 3% 6% 7%
Fruits
10%
Whole Part
Flowers
16%
5%
Leaves
Rhizomes 6%
4% Roots
29%

The collections in most cases are done by villagers and tribals, without paying
attention to the stage of maturity, dried haphazardly and stored for long periods
under unsuitable conditions. The quality of collected material, as such is often
degraded.
Several medicinal plants have been assessed as endangered, vulnerable and

threatened due to over harvesting or unskillful harvesting in the wild. The
Government of India has put 29 species in the negative list of export.
The other main source of medicinal plant is from cultivation, which is considered
more appropriate for use in the production of drugs. Given the higher cost of
cultivated material, cultivation is often done under contract. In the majority of
cases, companies cultivate only those plant species, which they use in large
quantity or in the production of derivatives and isolates, for which standardisation is
essential and quality is critical. More recently growers have set up cooperatives or
collaborative ventures in an attempt to improve their negotiating power and
achieve higher price.
3.6 Trade in Medicinal Plants
Usually the dried parts of medicinal plants (roots, stem wood, bark, leaves, flowers
seeds, fruits, and whole plants etc.) are used as raw materials for the production of
traditional remedies of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Homeopathy, Tibetan and other
systems of medicine including the folk, ethno or tribal medicines. These are also
used to obtain therapeutically active chemical constituents, using specialised
processes of extraction, isolation, fractionation and purification and are used as
phytochemicals for the production of modern allopathic medicines or
herbal/phytomedicines.
There is a vast, secretive and largely unregulated trade in medicinal plants, mainly
from the wild, which continues to grow dramatically in the absence of serious policy
enforcement and/or environmental planning. A study by Kerala Forest Research
Institute found that most (57%) of the non-timber forest products (NTFP) in Kerala are
used by the tribals as ingredients for ayurvedic medicines. For example the Thrissur
market for medicinal plants has been a major supplier of raw materials to large

number of ayurvedic drug manufacturers, including the big companies, even
though most of the transactions are illegal. Illegal trade not only denies the revenue
earnings to the state government, but also acts as a serious disincentive for any
efforts towards organised cultivation and conservation.
3.7 Value Added Products From Medicinal Plants

The medicines for internal use prepared in the traditional manner involve simple
methods such as hot- or cold-water extraction, extraction of juice after crushing,
powdering of dried material, formulation of powder into pastes using water, oil or
honey, and even fermentation after adding a sugar source.
Traditionally, the herbal medicines were produced manually in small quantities, by

the practitioner him/herself who was able to identify the correct plant species.
However, with the introduction of commercial production of herbal drugs, while the
processing efficiencies have improved considerably, it has also introduced an
element of doubt about the authenticity and quality of plant material used.
Therefore, there is a need to select proper and appropriate technologies for the
industrial production of traditional medicines such that the effectiveness of the
preparation is maintained.
The value added herbal products can be classified into following groups:
- Extracts/concentrates (particularly in the form of retail packaging such as
capsules)
- Preparations (mixed formulations)
Some Indian companies like Ranbaxy Labs, Parry Nutraceuticals, Dr. Morepen etc.
are developing vitalisers, geriatric tonics, cycle correctives for women, growth
promoters for children, digestives, liver tonics and laxatives, besides working on anti-
diabetes, anti-inflammatory/anti-arthritic, cardio-vascular, CNS, dermatology,
respiratory and urology segments.

3.8 Policy & Institutional infrastructure
3.8.1 Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM&H)

The Government of India established the ISM&H, under the Ministry of Health and
Family welfare in 1995, with the objective of rendering simple and effective remedies
to people, particularly in the area of preventive health, maintaining healthy life style,
alleviating discomfort caused by specific diseases and treating chronic diseases.
Activities of the ICM&H include:
• Upgrading educational standards in ISM&H
• Strengthening existing research and ensuring time bound research programmes
in ISM&H
• Drawing up and administering schemes for promotion, cultivation and
regeneration of medicinal plants
• Evolving pharmacological standards for ISM&H
3.8.2 National Medicinal Plants Board

Set up recently at national level under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the
Medicinal Plants Board is mandated to enhance the availability of quality raw
material for domestic consumption and to enhance exports of medicinal plants.
Some of the activities undertaken by the Board are:
« Making concerted efforts to cover all related aspects including conservation,
cultivation, processing and marketing
« Coordination of all matters related to medicinal plants in India.
« Conduct general and specialized surveys of the international markets for
medicinal plants and products so as to identify niche areas.
« Registration of cultivators, farmers and traders
« Simplification of transit permits/legal procurement certificates for raw drugs
« R&D activities in areas of post-harvest management, shelf life, storage and agro-
techniques
« Constitution of State Medicinal Board in each state/UT. Till date 13 State Boards
have already started functioning, including in Kerala.

3.8.3 Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)
TKDL is being created under the guidance of the National Institute of Science
Communication (NISCOM); to serve the objective of making available ON-LINE non-
patent database pertaining to traditional knowledge of uses of medicinal
plants/medicinal plant based products/formulations.
Its main activities shall be to:
« Integrate the widely scattered references on India’s traditional systems in a
retrievable form.
« Act as abridge between traditional and modern systems of medicine.
« Provide a major impetus to research in ISM&H
3.8.4 Infrastructure
There are about 2189 hospitals and approx. 15,000 dispensaries providing ayurvedic
and other traditional medical services. Overall there are nearly 500,000 registered
practitioners of Ayurveda, Unani, siddha and naturopathy streams of traditional
medicine, and 200,000 practitioners of homeopathy.
In terms of educational institutions, there around 200 under-graduate teaching
institutions, 53 upgraded post-graduate institutions and 16 offering postgraduate
specializations.
3.9 Indian standards
3.9.1 Pharmacopoeia standards
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken up the task of developing
Pharmacopoeia standards, both for single as well as compound drugs, through
Pharmacopoeia Committees. Pharmacopoeia standards are mandatory for the
drug testing provisions under the Drugs and Cosmetic Act, 1940. These standards are
also used for checking samples of drugs available in the market for their safely and
efficacy.
3.9.2 Quality Standards for Medicinal Plants

The Medicinal Plants Unit of Indian Council for Medical Research has announced
that it would be shortly releasing Quality Standards for 32 Indian Medicinal Plants,
based on research conducted at four national research institutions. These standards
will provide guidelines for herbal drugs manufacturers, practitioners, academicians,
researchers as well as regulatory bodies.
3.9.3 Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
The Indian System of Medicine has adopted the GMPs with effect from June 2000 for
herbal products manufacturing units, with the objective of ensuring quality
assurance covering all aspects of the manufacturing system. GMPs were formulated
initially in a WHO report on specifications for pharmaceutical preparations. These
have been expanded/elaborated from time to time. In the present form, the GMPs
lay down specific requirements for various aspects such as location, surroundings,
factory premises, buildings, water supply, disposal of waste, storage area, machinery
and equipment, health and hygiene of workers, documentation and records, and
quality control system.
The manufacturing unit is issued a GMP certificate, valid for 2 years, after proper
inspection of the premises.
3.10 Schemes/Incentives for Promotion of Traditional Medicine
3.10.1 Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

• Schemes of National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB)
NMPB has several promotional and commercial schemes for providing technical
and financial assistance to government organizations, NGOs, R&D institutions,
industrial units, associations of growers/traders etc., as summarized in Annexure 3.
In addition, financial assistance provided to individual farmers is summarized in
the table below:
Table 3.6: NMPB Financial Assistance available to farmers

Type of beneficiary Extent of assistance available
(% of total expenditure / Amount)
Small & marginal (operational land area < 2 ha.) 50%
Medium (operational land area 2-10 ha.) 40%
Large (operational land area >10 ha.) 30%
NGOs, Societies/Cooperatives 30%
Technology transfer & development of identified Rs. 10 Lakhs per year
medicinal plant
Pilot project for commercial Production of Rs. 10 Lakhs per year
quality planting material
R&D Rs. 25 Lakhs
In-situ conservation & Ex -situ cultivation Rs. 10 Lakhs per year
Training/workshop/seminars
• At state level[ Rs. 2 Lakhs
• At regional level Rs. 3 Lakhs
• At national level Rs. 5 Lakhs
Type of beneficiary Extent of assistance available
(% of total expenditure / Amount)
• At international level Rs. 10 Lakhs
Market Information service including data bank Rs. 10 Lakhs
Award to Medicinal plant scholars Rs. 1.5 Lakhs per year @ Rs. 15,000 per
“Vanaushadhi Pandit”
• Schemes of Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homoeopathy

(ISM&H) – details in Annexure 3
3.10.2 Ministry of Environment & Forests

National Parks and Sanctuaries Scheme for promotion of in situ conservation of
medicinal plants
Funding of Ethnobiological studies for compiling information on status of tribal
communities and the wild plants used by the tribal communities as food, fodder,
medicinal uses etc.
• NAEB’s Scheme on Non-Timber Forest Produce including Medicinal Plants for
promoting afforestation, tree planting, ecological restoration and eco-
development activities in the country.
In addition to the above specific schemes for medicinal plants, other

incentives/schemes offered by National Horticulture Board (Ministry of Agriculture)
and APEDA (Ministry of Commerce) are also available for medicinal plants as well.

4. Medicinal Plants in Kerala
4.1 Unique Features

Some features that make Kerala an ideal place for the growth of traditional
medicine, particularly the Ayurvedic system, are:
• Kerala is host to one of the largest number of quality treatment centres and the
largest number of treatment methodologies. Almost all the hotels and resorts in
the state have Ayurveda centres, run by authentic and traditional Ayurveda
institutions, making “health tourism” a unique selling proposition for the state.
• Kerala has the largest pool of qualified and committed Ayurveda doctors and
experienced therapists.
• Kerala all the three kinds of biomes, namely hills, plateaus and coasts, making it
a biodiversity hotspot having a rich source of medicinal plants. Almost 70% of
the herbal plants used in the formulation of Ayurvedic remedies are native to
Kerala.
• India’s premier learning institutions imparting Ayurvedic education are in Kerala.
• Most manufacturers and practitioners of Ayurveda in the state follow the
traditional and authentic form of the system, strictly adhering to regimens
prescribed in the classical texts.
• Kerala has proven expertise in the practice of the Ashtanga pradhan (all the
eight divisions of Ayurveda) in its most comprehensive form as well as the
panchakarma treatment.
• The state has the distinction of making independent treatment contributions in
the form of the very popular Navarakizhi and Thakradhara.
• Kerala has developed the expertise for preparation of unique oils for external
applications such as Mukkoottu and Kuzhambu.
4.2 Evolution of Ayurveda in Kerala
The popularity of Ayurveda in Kerala follows from the Aryan invasion. Vagbhadan,
the master of Ayurveda, is reported to have come to Kerala to start his own style of
treatment and practice. He wrote two books on Ayurveda while he was in Kerala,
namely Ashtaangabridayam and Ashtaangasamgrabam. His disciples from eight
families, who later came to be known as the Ashtavaidyans (eight doctors),
propagated Ayurvedic treatment in the land. Seven of the Ashtavaidya families
still exist.
The tropical system of Ayurveda practiced in Kerala is perceptibly different from
the general practice of Ayurveda elsewhere, reflecting the societal culture in
kerala, which are a little different from other societies in India.
The very popular and effective panchakarma therapy is based on the belief that
even the minutest passages/channels in the body need to be cleansed on a
routine basis, through five-fold purification system (hence the name). Comprising of
Therapeutic Vomiting (Vamana), Purgation Therapy (virechana), Enema Therapy
(Basti), Nasal Administration (Nasya) and Purification of the blood (Rakta moksha)
4.2.1 Educational infrastructure in Kerala
There are about 113 Ayurvedic hospitals and 679 dispensaries with 2604 beds in
Kerala. There are five Ayurveda colleges in the state, of which three are in the
Government sector and two are in the private sector. Ayurvedic research centres
have been set up in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Cheruthuruthi and Kottakkal,
Government Ayurveda hospitals and dispensaries. The private Ayurveda School
started by Parmeswaran Moothathu was taken over by the Government and later
developed into a collage. The courses offered in these colleges include
Vaidyashastri. Vaidya Kalandhi, D.I.M. course, D.A.M course (diploma), B.A,M.
(degree) etc.
4.2.2 Research and Other Infrastructure in Kerala
The Kerala I nstitute for Research, Training & Development of Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes (KIRTADS), whose objective is upliftment and protection of
diminishing art forms, symbols and culture, conducts research and training in
traditional knowledge systems. The institute has recently signed an MoU with the
Regional Research Laboratory, Thriruvananthapuram. KIRTADS also applies for
patenting tribal medicinal knowledge. In fact, one of its patents on anti-diabetic
medicine has been accepted by the Patent office in New Delhi. The organization
has identified 85 medicinal tribal healers. KIRTADS has been trying to get a
legislation enacted to safeguard tribal intellectual property right on medicinal
knowledge. The organization focuses on chronic diseases and case like asthma,
psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis etc. KIRTADS has also conducted two camps in New
Delhi with the India International Trade Fair.

4.2.3 Marketing of Medicinal Plants in Kerala
In Kerala the marketing of major Non Wood Forest Produce (NWFP)-largely

medicinal plants- is undertaken in an organized manner by the Kerala State
Federation of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Development Co-operatives
Limited. The Federation markets the medicinal produce of 34 tribal cooperative
societies spread over different districts in the state, through its four branches,
located in Thiruvananthapuram, Adimali. Thrissur and Kalpetta districts.
Besides the Federation, marketing is also done by private traders, and the
collectors themselves.
Every year, the Minor Forest Products Committee allots forest areas to different
tribal societies for the collection of NWEP. To facilitate collection, societies establish
collection depots inside the forests during the peak collection season, managed
by agents/depot managers who are mainly tribal. When adequate quantities have
been collected from the different depots, auction notices are sent by the
Federation to all the parties evincing interest in the auction.
Another marketing practice adopted by the Federation is direct negotiation. This is

resorted to for sales of Sida rbombififolia, Desmodium gangeticum, Psendartbria
viscida and Nilgiriantbus ciliatus. These plants are needed in the raw form and
cannot be stored for long periods. Therefore, the Federation enters into an
agreement with the parties interested in purchasing these items and supplies them
at a mutually agreed price.
Inadequate storage facilities and lack of funds during the peak collection season
are the two major hurdles that impede the smooth functioning of the society and
the Federation. In spite of the efforts of the Federation and the forest Department,
nearly 60 to 70% of non-wood forest produce is marketed by private traders. The
private traders provide the tribal with food, clothing, and financial assistance. This
in turn forces the tribals to sell their products at low price to repay the loans, which
has become a vicious circle. The products are then transported to wholesale
dealers mr exported to other states.

The Federation often faces stiff competition from the private traders in procuring
and marketing medicinal plants in Kerala. The private traders compete with the
Federation by offering higher pries to the collectors. This results in the flow of
products to the private sector and weakens the position of the Federation as a
marketing agent.
Besides the Federation and private traders, primary collectors directly auction their
collections. This practice is found at Kottur, situated in the Agastyanam Biological
Park Range. The local tribals come together every Wednesday and Saturday to
market their items which are actually auctioned off under the supervision of Forest
Department officials. The auction procedure is a highly informal one when
compared to that of the Federation. This is a unique marketing system in Kerala
where the tribals meet in one place to market their commodities. However, no
official sanction or recognition has been accorded to this form of marketing by the
Forest Department even though it has been in existence for many years.
4.2.4 Industry structure
There are three types of Ayurveda manufactures:

1. Truly traditional, in terms of systems, practices and products. These are largely
self-regulated entities, growing on the basis of track record and credibility and
do not consider it necessary to scientifically validate their product and systems.
Such units can grow only upto a point, beyond which they require modern
methods of manufacture, distribution and R&D.
2. Companies adapted to meet modern life styles, manufacturing and marketing
methods. These companies draw upon traditional knowledge and also have
the ability to grow, by accepting modern technology. Nonetheless, their
products are neither wholly traditional nor entirely modern and need scientific
rationale.
3. Companies that use traditional systems as leads to news drug either as
standardized extracts or as pure isolated active ingredients, which have been
scientifically validated. These companies combine the essence of both systems
to achieve global presence. However, they face regulatory problems, have
relatively longer gestation and are more expensive. They also face the

constraints in them of having to validate traditional system based products by
modern methods.
Manufacture of Ayurvedic medicine in its modern incarnation is over a century old in

India. Major players in the Ayurveda sector are Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, Kerala
Ayurveda Pharmacy, Aluva and Nagarjuna. (Brief profiles of these companies are
enclosed at Annexure 4).
Overall, however, the Ayurveda industry in India and indeed in Kerala is highly
unorganized and comprises mostly of the cottage/small-scale sector.
4.2.5 Schemes/Incentives offered by Kerala state government
Classification of Ayurveda Centres

The elevations of Ayurveda as a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of Kerala tourism
has brought a substantial increase in the number of Ayurveda massage centres in
and around all the major tourist destination of the State. To ensure uniformity of
practice/quality and to prevent flaunting safety and health regulations, the
Government of Kerala brought out a scheme for the Approval of Ayurveda
Centres vide G.O. (MS) 140/98/GAD dated 23rd March, 1998. According to this
order, a uniform approval is given to all the centres fulfilling the conditions
prescribed, irrespective of its quality.
Subsequently, the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, has worked out a

revised scheme for the classification of the Ayurveda centres in order to promote
tourism in the State. The centres will be classified into Green Leaf and Olive Leaf
categories based on the quality standards maintained by the respective Ayurveda
centres.
Incentives to Classified Ayurveda Centres: Only those Ayurveda centres, which are
classified/approved by the Department of Tourism, would be eligible to claim 10%
state investment subsidy or electric tariff concession offered by the Department of
Tourism. Only these centres will be considered for publicity and promotion through
print and electronic media by the Department.

Financial assistance
Institutions such as the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC)

and Kerala Finance Corporation (KFC) have been actively supporting the
manufacture of Ayurveda and Siddha products. KSIDC has funded about 14
Ayurveda manufacturing unit with an exposure of almost Rs 150 crores. The
organization has also been active in financing Ayurveda resorts, primarily as a part
of the overall tourism policy of the Government of Kerala. The loans are normally
given for a 4-6 year term. As a part of the tourism package, the Kerala
Government gives a maximum subsidy of Rs 10 lakh for setting up Ayurveda resorts
and Rs 15 lakhs for setting up an Ayurveda manufacturing unit. Realizing the huge
potential of Ayurveda from Kerala, KSIDC has made Ayurveda one of the thrust
sectors.
Kerala Finance Corporation (KFC) has also financed some companies like
Nagarjuna.

4.3 Constraints in Export Development
Some of the constraints associated with the collection and processing of medicinal
plants in India in general and Kerala in particular, which result in reducing their
competitiveness in global markets, are as follows:
• Poor agricultural practices and lack of knowledge about proper time and
methods for plant identification, collection/harvesting, storage and post-harvest
treatment practices, propagation, transportation etc. Almost 70% of the
collections of medicinal plants/parts involve destructive harvesting. These
practices have led to depletion of certain wild growing plants due to over
exploitation by local contractors.
• Irregular availability and inconsistent quality due to dependence on wild
sources which are subject to vagaries of weather and plant diseases in tropical
climate.
• Lack of R&D of high-yielding varieties, product and process development etc.
• Inefficient processing techniques including lack of trained personnel, outdated
technologies and equipments.
• Poor quality control procedures and inadequate adoption of GMPs results in low
yields and poor quality of products, as well as lack of consistency between
quality of bulk supplies and the samples.
• Lack of regulatory mechanism in trade of medicinal plants, because of which it
is unorganized and very secretive. The situation is further compounded by
irregular availability (vagaries of weather, plant diseases etc.) leading to cyclic
prices variations. Besides availability, prices also vary with demand and quality
and are therefore unpredictable. The farmers find it difficult to plan their
cropping pattern and cannot meet the market demands. Often, stocking by
importers leads to glut, resulting in a sudden fall in demand and drop in prices,
thus making it un-remunerative for the farmers.
• Traditional medicines also face increasing competition from synthetic drugs.
• Exports
o Lack of credible documentation of the therapeutic values of medicines and
their formulations is a major constraint in exports, particularly to countries like
USA.
o Lack of assured availability for exports, in terms of quality, quantity and price
o Lack of information about the total world trade, demand dynamics in the
overseas market, marketing techniques etc.
o Lack of knowledge on international and specific regulations of importing
countries governing imports of such products, including quality, Intellectual
Property Rights etc.
o Lack of standardization in products, processes and services.
Any new initiative for export promotion of medicinal plants, must therefore address
the above issues.

5. Export Potential from Kerala
5.1 Present exports from the state

No authentic statistics are available for exports of medicinal plants and/or herbal
products from Kerala. Even the leading producers of ayurvedic medicines/
products in the state are not exporting directly. Therefore, the estimates of export
potential for medicinal plants from Kerala, are based on the following premises:
• Majority of the exports from India are in the form of raw medicinal plants
(leaves, roots and other parts of the plants) or as extracts. Exports of value
added products are minimal.
• Among the medicinal plants which are already being exported from India or
have the potential for exports, about 15 medicinal plant species have been
identified which are presently available in Kerala or can be grown in the state in
view of the suitable agro-climatic conditions.
• Although the total exports of medicinal plants/herbal products from India are of
the order of Rs. 1209 crores, the exports accounted for by the above 15 species
(in various forms) are about Rs. 323 crores (refer table 3.2). Therefore, this figure
has been taken as the baseline data for estimating the additional export
potential from Kerala.
• No data is available on Kerala’s present share in India’s total exports. However,
industry experts feel that Kerala accounts for a substantial portion of ayurvedic
and unani herbs/medicines exported from India (Rs. 270 crores in 2001-02).
• Almost 90% of the medicinal plants/herbs exported as such or in semi processed
form are from wild sources with very small contribution from cultivated
plantations.
5.2 Export targets
As stated earlier in this report, no official estimates are available about Kerala’s
present share in India’s exports of medicinal plants, extracts/concentrates,
Ayurvedic preparations etc. However, based on discussions with industry experts,
the following scenario emerges:

Table 5.1: Kerala’s share in exports (2001-02)
Product Present Estimated share of exports

export from originating from Kerala **
India (Rs.
Crore) (%) Value
Raw Medicinal 34 20% 7
plants
(dried/powdered)
Extracts / value 44.5 20% 9
added capsules
etc. of single herb
Ayurvedic 94 60% 55
medicines for bulk
sale
Ayurvedic 151.2 60% 90
medicines for retail
sale
Total 323.7 50% 161
** based on experts’ opinion/estimates
Based on the above estimates of present exports of medicinal plants and herbal
products from Kerala, and the overall growth of world demand by 15% per annum,
there should be significant potential for increasing the exports from the state.
Considering that development and marketing of medicinal plants and value

added herbal products is a long gestation activity, no additional exports have
been targeted in the first year. From the second year onwards however, the results
will commence.
The industry sources have emphasized that Kerala has an excellent potential for
substantially increasing the exports of extracts/concentrates by setting up modern
processing units and adopting international standards in quality, packaging etc.
Also, OTC/retail products in ayurvedic and unani preparations, which already
contribute a major share in Kerala’s exports, are another thrust area, considering
the substantial ethnic Indian population in USA, Europe and Middle East, who are
already familiar with the products and therefore acceptability is not an issue.
Accordingly, the realistic year wise targets for additional exports in the near future,
over and above the present exports and the normal increase in line with the
growing world demand, are indicated in the following table.

Table 5.2: Year wise targets for additional exports from Kerala (Rs. crore)
Product Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
Raw Medicinal plants nil 1.5 3 4.5 5
(dried/powdered)
Extracts / value added capsules etc. Nil 5 10 15 25
of single herb
Ayurvedic medicines for bulk sale Nil 1.5 3 4.5 5
Ayurvedic medicines for retail sale Nil 10 15 20 30
Total Nil 18 31 44 65
5.3 Steps required for increasing exports of Medicinal Plants
Based on various studies carried out on the subject as well as discussions with
experts, the following actions need to taken to remedy the constraints in
development of exports of medicinal plants:
5.3.1 Identification of specific Medicinal Plants for concentrated efforts
Based on detailed discussions with senior officials of the concerned state and
central government organizations, as well as from R&D institutions, manufacturers
and other knowledgeable experts, the following medicinal plants have been
identified for focused effort in export promotion. While most of these plants are
already included in NMPB’s list of 32 high priority medicinal plants, the others are
also expected to be included in the list shortly, based on a request from the state
government.

Table 5.3: List of Selected Medicinal Plants in Kerala for development of exports
Sl. Botanical name Local Distribution in Kerala Agrotechnique Uses
no. /Common developed
name
1. Piper longum L. Magadhi, Cannanore, Wynad, Yes Roots, stems, fruits used especially in the treatment of diseases of
Pippali, Calicut, Palghat, Trichur, respiratory tract like bronchitis, asthma etc. It is a stimulant, expectorant,
Thippali Ernakulam, Idukki, carminative and alterative tonic.
Kottayam, Pathanamthitta,
Quilan and Trivandrum,
almost throughout the state
2. Kaempferia Kacholam, Calicut, Malappuram, Yes Roots, used both in perfumery and as medicine against cough,
galanga L. Kachula - palghat, Quilan and pectorial affections, dyspepsia, headache, malaria, rheumatism etc.
kizhangu Trivandrum district.
Cultivated almost
throughout the state mainly
in midlands
3. Curculigo Nilappan, Kasargod, Cannanore, Yes Tubers are used as tonic and also in the treatment of veneral diseases,
orchiodes Gaertn. Nilappana- Wynad, Calicut, piles, jaundice, asthma etc.
kizhangu Malappuram, Palghat,
Trichur, Ernakulam, Idukki,
Kottayam, Pathanamthitta,
Quilon and Trivandrum
districs
4. Acorus calamus L. Vayambu Devikulam near Munnar, Yes Rhizome containing volatile oil and glucoside acorin which has very
Idukki, Calicut, Palghat and high medicinal properties as an emetic, carminative, antispasmodic
Trivandrum and anti-bacterial. Oil is also used in spice blends and for flavoring
alcoholic beverages.
5. Garcinia Koda-puli, Cannanore, Wynad, Yes Yellow pigment morellin shows antibacterial activities
cambogia Kodam-puli, Calicut, Malappuram,
(Gaertn.) Desr. Meen-puli, Palghat, Trichur, Ernakulam,
Punnangan, Idukki, Kottayam,
Puram-puli Pathanamthitta, Quilon and
Trivandrum. Almost
throughout the state
6. Andrographis Kiriath, Cannanore, Calicut, Yes Whole plant is used. Remedy for all kinds of fever, laxative. Useful in
paniculata (Burm. Kiriyattu, Malappuram, Trichur, cough, oedema, thirst, skin diseases, fever, ulcer and worms.
F.) Wall. Ex. Nees Nilaveppu, Kottayam, Quilon and
kara-kanjiram, Trivandrum, throughout the
Amukkiram state.
7. Asparagus Cannanore, Wynad, Yes Tuberous roots are used particularly in nervine tonics and aphrodisiac
racemosus Willd. Calicut, Malappuram, preparations
palghat, Trichur, Ernakulam,
Idukki, Kottayam,
34 Agri Export Zone Cebeco In

Sl. Botanical name Local Distribution in Kerala Agrotechnique Uses
no. /Common developed
name
Idukki, Kottayam,
Pathanmthitta, Quilon and
Trivandrum, almost
throughout the state in mid
and high lands
8. Gymnema Chakkara- Cannanore, Wynad, Yes Leaves or the whole plant is remedial for stomachache, cough,
sylvestre (Retz.)R. kolli, Calicut, Malappuram, biliousness, sore eyes etc. Is laxative, diurtetic, heart stimulant etc. Also
Br. Ex Schult Sharkara-kolli Palghat, Trichur, Idukki and reported to be used against diabetes.
Pathanamthitta district,
almost throughout the state.
9. Sida rhombifolia L. Kurumthotti Cannanore, Wynad, - Used in the treatment of tuberculosis and rheumatism. The mucilage of
Calicut, Malappuram, the stem has demulcent and emollient properties and is used in the
Palghat, Trichur, Ernakulam, treatment of skin diseases and as a diuretic and febrifuge. Also used in
Idukki, Kottayam, Quilon, the treatment of rheumatism and leucorrhoea.
Trivandrum and
Pathanamthitta district,
almost throughout the state.
10. Tinospora cordifolia Chittamruthu, Calicut, Malappuram, Yes Stem, roots and leaves used in the treatment of jaundice and
(Willd.) Miers Ex Sitha-amruthu Palghat, Trichur, Quilon and rheumatism. Also used in the treatment of general debility, dyspepsia,
Hook.F.ET Thoms. Trivandrum districts, mainly urinary infections etc.
in the hilly and uplands.
11. Gloriosa superba L. Menthoni, Kasargod, Cannanore, Yes Tubers are used in drug preparations to cure colic, chronic ulcers and
Mettonni, Wynad, Calicut, piles. Externally a paste of the tuber is applied to cure skin diseases. Drug
Ventorii Malappuram, Palghat, property is due to the alkaloid colchicines used in treatment of gout and
Trichur, Ernakulam, Idukki rheumatism. Also an important chemical for inducing polyploidy in
and Trivandrum, almost plant.
throughout the state, mainly
in the mid and hilly uplands
12. Adathoda Chittadalotak Kasargod, Cannanore, Yes Whole plant is used and the alkaloid vascine is responsible for its
beddomei C.B. am Calicut, Malappuram, therapeutic properties. Used in the treatment of bronchitis, rheumatism,
Clarke Palghat, Trichur, Idukki cough, cold etc.
Pathanamthitta, Quilon and
Trivandrum, almost
throughout the state.
Note: Brahmi, Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) and Ocimum may also be added to this list.
35 Agri Export Zone Cebeco In

5.3.2 Improvement of agricultural practices:
o Education and training of persons/groups engaged in collection of
medicinal plants from wild sources. Important aspects to be covered are
identification of medicinal plants, time and methods for
collection/harvesting, storage and post-harvest treatment practices,
propagation, transportation etc.
o Provision of training and extension services to farmers engaged in cultivation
of medicinal plants, covering pre and post harvest management of the
crops, covering
§ awareness of new improved varieties
§ inter-cropping techniques
§ practices for organic farming
§ propagation techniques (including tissue culture)
§ irrigation requirements, particularly at critical stages
§ use of fertilizers & nutrients and crop protection chemicals
§ weed control
§ harvesting time and method
§ drying and storage
§ grading and cleaning
§ anti-microbial treatment
o Visits of growers & collectors to demonstration farms & R&D centres
o Promotion of co-operatives, as a means of self-regulation of trade
5.3.3 Reducing dependence on wild availability

o Increasing the area under cultivation of medicinal plants, by providing
technical and financial assistance to farmers under various schemes of
central and state government departments
o Facilitation of medium term contracts between farmers/farmer co-
operatives and processors/exporters (contract farming). This would be
mutually beneficial in terms of assured market for growers and assured
availability for processors/exporters.
o Government procurement through minimum support price which should also
be remunerative for the farmers. The co-operative federation does offer
guaranteed off-take but the price not attractive enough.
o Introduction of crop insurance scheme for medicinal plants grown in the
proposed AEZ
o Setting up of Demonstration/Model Farms
o I ntroduction of improved seeds and new high yielding varieties
o Encouragement to inter-cropping of medicinal plants with cash crops such
as coconut, rubber etc.
5.3.4 Conservation of the natural sources of medicinal plants

o Establishment of herbal gardens or “vanaspati vans”
o Re-planting of medicinal plants in forest areas (in situ conservation)
o Training of persons and groups engaged in collection, to minimize damage
to forests
5.3.5 Commercially oriented time-bound R&D programmes

o Development of packages of “good agronomic practices” for collectors,
growers (including for inter-cropping), for each of the selected medicinal
plant species
o Development of improved varieties (high yielding, disease resistant etc.)
o Development and production of quality seeds and planting material,
through tissue culture
o Development of organic farming package
o Creation of a gene bank through Tropical Botanical Garden & Research
Institute (TBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram.
o Active ingredients of important medicinal plants to be determined and their
quality improved by combination of biotechnology and genetic
engineering.
o Search for new molecules, development of new drugs, their standarisation
and patenting on high priority.
o Development of production processes/equipments
5.3.6 Improvement of processing and quality control

o Upgradation of production and protection techniques/equipment, through
incentives and support schemes, including for certification to international
standards.

o Improvement of post harvest handling, to preserve quality and minimize
losses during drying, chemical treatments, storage, packaging and
transportation.
o Training of personnel on various aspects of value addition, shelf life, storage
& packaging of products (raw, extracts, preparations, drugs) as per
international norms
o Encouragement through technical support and financial incentives to
processing units for adopting GMPs and international quality standards,
including certification.
5.3.7 Strengthening of marketing co-operative(s)

o Bringing more and more collectors under the co-operatives
o Establishing Self Help Groups (SHGs) of growers
o Involving private sector (processors, exporters and hospitality sector) through
backward integration initiatives
5.3.8 Export Development

o Studies in demand supply scenario and marketing
o Creation of a scientific data base and information centre, for
• statistics on world trade
• price trends
• demand patterns
• competition
• importers in various countries
• regulatory aspects such as IPR, import regulations in important countries
etc.
o Promotion of contract farming between growers and exporters/processors
o Facilitation of export marketing tie-ups for exporters and processors
o International exposure of growers, processors and exporters
o Other innovative marketing methodologies to develop and capitalize on
Indian brand equity

6. Integrated approach through Agri Export Zone for Medicinal Plants
An integrated approach is required to promote the exports of medicinal plants

right from the stage of cultivation, collection, storage, processing, packaging to
marketing in an organised manner for selected medicinal plant species.
It is recommended that an Agri Export Zone should be established for promotion of

exports of Medicinal Plants from Kerela, covering six districts, namely Idduki,
Palakkad, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Mallapuram and Wayanad.
These districts in Kerala have the highest availability of medicinal plants in the state,
and are geographically contiguous. The yield and quality are reasonably good
and the soil is suited for medicinal plants production. Also there is potential for
increasing the yield by adopting better practices. Brief profiles of these districts are
provided at Annexure 5.
Since these districts are contiguous, it will be most appropriate to designate the
entire area as AEZ, as shown in the map.
Establishing an AEZ will also enable the creation of necessary physical infrastructure
for post harvest management and also facilitate a well-planned and sustained
export promotion initiative.
India is already recognized as a highly attractive base for R&D and clinical trials,
with several of the world’s leading pharmaceuticals and biotechnology companies
successfully establishing their operations. The proposed AEZ will also aim to create
enabling conditions for the medicinal plants/herbal products sector to also grow in
stature and acceptance worldwide.

Map of Kerala showing the selected districts:

7. Approach to facilitate Exports
In order to achieve the export potential above, the following programmes are
recommended:
7.1 Conservation
§ Training and Education of persons/groups engaged in collection of
medicinal plants from wild sources: This should be undertaken with the
involvement of NGOs and other social/environmental development
organizations active in the area. The package of services should include
awareness of the useful medicinal plants available in the region (from the list
of selected medicinal plants) as well as additional high value medicinal
plants identified in future. The same organization should also be involved in
preparing scientific documentation – agronomical practices for each
medicinal plant and their medicinal properties of the specific plants.
One such organization should be identified for each district under the AEZ,
for developing and imparting customized training specific to medicinal
plant varieties found in the district.
Financial assistance is available to reputed NGOs, under NMPB promotional

schemes, for duration of three years. Cost of such a programme is estimated
at Rs. 10 lakhs per district per year – therefore the total cost for three years
would be Rs. 180 lakhs, of which 50% will come from NMPB scheme and
balance from state govt.
§ Re-plantation of Medicinal plants: The Forests Department of the state

government should be entrusted with this very important task for
conservation of medicinal plants. Based on earlier experience, about 2 lakh
plants per district per year should be made available to the Forest Deptt. for
this purpose.
The total cost of this programme for five years, @ Rs. 5 per plant, works out to
Rs. 3 crores, of which an assistance of Rs. 1 crore is available under NMPB
scheme. The balance of Rs.2 crores should be contributed by the state
government.

§ Herbal Gardens for in situ conservation: Under a programme of Department
of Agriculture & Cooperation for Horticulture development, Herbal Gardens
of 3-5 ha each are proposed to be set up under Kerala Agriculture
University.
Under an NHB scheme a sum of Rs. 1.0 lakh (Rs. 0.25 Lakhs for basic planting
material and Rs.0.75 Lakhs for establishment charges) is provided for land
development, fencing, developing water sources and setting up irrigation
facilities etc. Further, Rs. 40,000 per year would be available for meeting the
maintenance charges for 2 years. Accordingly, a total assistance of Rs.
10.8 lakhs for six herbal gardens shall be availed under the scheme.
The state government’s contribution would be by way of providing land free

of cost.
7.2 Encouragement for cultivation

§ Area expansion under cultivation and Extension services
Training & Demonstration to farmers on pre and post harvest management
practices for medicinal plant crops, which would include a full
recommended package of practices. The Agriculture/Extension
Department of the state government must be strengthened to play a nodal
role in demonstration and training programmes, supported by Kerala
Agricultural University.
It is recommended to select 10 small farms (1-2ha each) in each district per

year as model farms for demonstration of agronomic practices. This way,
over a period of 5 years, about 300 farms will have been developed through
demonstration and training programmes, covering an area of 450ha to
500ha. Similarly 2 medium sized farms (average 5ha) and 2 large farms
(average 20ha) should be taken up from each district per year, for
assistance and support.
NMPB provides financial assistance @ 50% for small farms, 40% for medium
farms and 30% for large farms.
§ Provision of Planting material: It is proposed that in the initial years planting
material should be prov ided to farmers free of cost. For this purpose about

2 lakh plants per district per year should be made available through the
state Agriculture Department.
The total cost of this programme for five years, @ Rs. 5 per plant, works out to
Rs. 3 crores, of which an assistance of Rs. 1 crore is available under NMPB
scheme. The balance of Rs.2 crores should be contributed by the state
government.
§ Formation of co-opreratives and mobilization of farmers: The co-operative
movement is already visible in the state, particularly among the
communities involved in medicinal plants collection and trade. This should
be further encouraged and strengthened.
Kerala state Agriculture Department should undertake this programme, for
which the estimated cost is Rs. 1 lakh per district.
§ Nursery Centres: To meet the growing demand for quality planting material,
it is proposed to set up Nursery Centres, which would be attached to each
Herbal Garden. The infrastructure required for the nursery centres, such as
land development, tissue culture, fungicide treatment, shade nets, mist
chamber, pots/poly bags and irrigation systems will be provided at a cost of
Rs. 1.25 lakhs in the first year. Besides, Rs. 0.40 Lakhs would be available for
maintenance for the first two years. These centres would be set up by the
second year of the establishment of the herbal gardens and will be self-
supporting from the third year onwards with the revenue generated from
the sale of the planting material produced.
In addition to the nursery centres, each farmer would also be encouraged

to earmark an area of 0.05 ha for seed production. Each such farmer will be
eligible for an incentive of 50% of the cost of the vital inputs upto Rs. 1500
per plot. These plot owners are expected to make available maximum
quantity of planting materials for distribution to the neighbouring farmers at
a reasonable cost. This programme will be implemented through the State
horticulture/ Agriculture Department.

7.3 Laboratories for Quality testing
The quality and yield depends on condition of soil, nutrient availability and extent
of infestation with pests/diseases etc. In order to take timely corrective measures in
case of undesirable changes, the proposed AEZ will have two laboratories, to be
managed by Kerala Agricultural University, with facilities for testing soil, water and
plant tissues, as well as GLC and HPLC. These laboratories will also serve as disease
forecasting units. The total cost for establishing each laboratory would be around
Rs. 60.00 lakh, of which a sum of Rs. 17.5 Lakhs will be provided as financial
assistance under the NHB scheme. The balance to be funded by state
government.
7.4 Processing units
Two types of processing units are envisages in the proposed AEZ.
The first level of processing will be carried out at Collection Centres/Pack Houses.
Once the produce is collected at the farms or from wild sources, the same must be
properly handled prior to being taken to well equipped processing centres, or for
direct exports. Such centres will be equipped with facilities for cleaning, drying
under controlled conditions, sizing, grading and sorting, packaging (including
consumer packs) and storage. These units will also be suitably linked with
adequate storage and arrangements for transport to move the packaged
produce for further processing or export.
It is proposed to set up atleast 5 such processing unit in each district of the AEZ.
The total cost of setting up 30 such processing units is estimated at Rs. 75 lakhs, of
which an assistance of Rs. 12.5 lakhs is available availed under the existing scheme
of APEDA/MFPI. The balance amount of Rs. 62.5 lakhs is to be arranged by
farmers/private entrepreneurs, of which soft loan assistance up to Rs. 20 lakhs can
be availed from the state financial institutions (KSIDC/KFC).
Processing units for value added products

As there is a growing potential for exports of extracts and concentrates of
medicinal plants, it is proposed to set three such processing units, for processing
the medicinal plants to produce extracts and concentrates meeting the

international standards of quality and hygiene. These units will have facilities for
multi-purpose facilities for grinding, crushing, solvent extraction, distillation, and anti
microbial treatment etc.
The total cost of setting up six such processing units (one in each district) is
estimated at Rs. 6 crores, of which Rs. 50 lakhs is to be availed under the existing
scheme of APEDA/MFPI. The balance amount of Rs. 5.50 crores is to be arranged
by farmers/private entrepreneurs, of which soft loan assistance up to Rs. 1.5 to 2
crores can be availed from the state financial institutions (KSIDC/KFC).
7.5 Quality system implementation
It is also important that the processing units (dry as well as value added products),
to be set up in the AEZ, adopt and implement the quality systems as per
international standards like Codex, PFA etc., so as to compete with other
developed countries.
An expenditure of Rs. 84 lakhs has been envisaged for implementation of quality

systems at the 36 locations (Rs. 2 lakhs per collection centre and Rs. 4 lakhs per
processing unit), out of which 50% i.e. Rs. 42 lakhs per centre can be contributed
by APEDA and balance should be paid by the respective units.
7.6 Development of Data Bank and Information Centre
Managing and dissemination of market information is very critical for success of the
export promotion initiative. Hence, it is proposed to set up a state of art Data Bank
and Information Centre, to be maintained by the Extension Department of the
state Government. The centre will maintain detailed records on medicinal plants
production and development in Kerala and India as a whole. The centre also
provide information on various international practices/researches on growing,
harvesting, transportation etc and latest R & D initiatives will be made available to
farmers, pack houses and exporters.
The cost of setting and maintaining such a centre is estimated at Rs. 25 lakhs.
In addition to setting up the centre, initial one-time studies are required for
compiling the base data on all aspects, which will entail a cost of about Rs. 50
lakhs.

Financial assistance is available for these activities under schemes of Ministry of
Agriculture and NMPB.
7.7 Export Promotion and Marketing

The following activities have been envisaged to boost exports of medicinal plants,
and value added products from Kerala.
§ Development and promotion of brand equity for medicinal plants
originating from India/Kerala.
§ International exposure of to Indian exporters, processors and some
progressive farmers, including participation in International trade fairs to facilitate
interaction with the customers to popularize Indian Medicinal plants. Participants
in such exhibitions would also be able to get first hand information on other
countries, in terms of quality, packing, pricing etc.
Delegations of leading importers from various countries to Kerala and organizing
Workshops and Seminars to showcase the facilities and capabilities at each level.
These buyer-seller meets can also serve as a forum for redressal of trade disputes in
a speedy and fair manner.
§ Linkage between growers, pack houses and exporters, R&D institutions
(state level training/workshops)
§ Printing of generic publicity material, for extensive circulation among the
importers/buyers in the target markets.
7.8 Research & Development (R &D)

Some of the activities to be taken up as R&D projects by designated Research
Institutions, with financial assistance from ICAR, CSIR, DFPI, and APEDA as
applicable, are:
§ Development of packages of “good agronomic practices” for collectors,
growers (including for inter-cropping), for each of the selected medicinal
plant species. Systematic cultivation of medicinal plants needs specific
cultural practices and agronomical requirements. These are species-
specific and are dependent on soil, water and climatic conditions. Hence
research and development work has to be done to formulate good
agricultural practices which will include appropriate selection and
identification, propagation methods, cultivation techniques, harvesting,

stepwise quality control of raw material upto processing stage, post-harvest
treatment, storage and safety.
§ Development of improved varieties (high yielding, disease resistant etc.)
§ Development and production of quality seeds and planting material,
through tissue culture
§ Development of organic farming package: Farmers have to be trained in all
aspects of organic farming of medicinal plants including obtaining
certification from associations that do the monitoring starting from
cultivation to final harvesting. Organic farming which is labour-intensive
gives the developing countries the comparative advantage to be
competitive.
§ Creation of a gene bank through Tropical Botanical Garden & Research
Institute (TBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram.
§ Active ingredients of important medicinal plants to be determined and their
quality improved by combination of biotechnology and genetic
engineering.
§ Search for new molecules, development of new drugs, their standarisation
and patenting on high priority.
§ Development of production processes/equipments
It is recommended that Kerala Agricultural University and Kerala Institute for

Research, Training & Development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
(KIRTADS), may be designated as the nodal institutions for the R&D activities, in
association with Kerala State Medicinal Plants Board.
7.9 Agencies involved
Financial incentives and other types of support available from various state and
central organisations, under their existing/ongoing schemes, will be available to
the AEZ. The procedures for availing these incentives by the farmers, entrepreneurs,
exporters etc., should be simplified and streamlined under a single window
mechanism at the state level. The various involved at the state and central level
will be:

7.9.1 State Government organizations
§ Kerala State Agriculture Department
The state Agriculture Department may be designated as the nodal organisation
to set up the proposed AEZ for promoting exports of medicinal plants from
Kerala state.
Specific responsibilities for Agri Export Zone

§ To function as the nodal agency on behalf of the state government for Agri
Export Zone for Medicinal plants, for co-ordination with other government
agencies (central and state) as well as institutions involved in R&D projects
etc.
§ To facilitate and strengthen Self Help Groups/co-operatives and mobilize
farmers to take up cultivation of medicinal plants.
§ To identify NGOs for conducting training and education of collectors
§ To provide extension services for farmers, through Extension department
§ To organize distribution of free planting material for re-plantation of forests
as well as to farmer
§ To identify private entrepreneurs for setting up processing units.
§ To organise export promotional activities
§ Help the exporters and farmers to benchmark against international
standards, and set up quality systems
§ To assist in implementation of international quality systems and adoption of
GMPs in processing units
§ To set up and maintain the Data Bank and Information Centre
§ Kerala Agricultural University (KAU)

KAU is already actively involved in research with respect to medicinal plants,
and has an important role in the AEZ.
Specific responsibilities of KAU for Agri Export Zone
§ Setting up and maintaining Herbal gardens for in situ conservation
§ Support to Agriculture department for developing agronomic packages for
various medicinal plants
§ Setting up and maintaining Nursery centres
§ Setting up and maintaining Laboratories for quality testing and control

§ Identification and commercialization of new varieties which have better
demand in the international market
§ Acting as nodal agency for undertaking R&D projects towards varietal
improvement, adaptation of modern technology etc.
In addition to the above organizations other state level organizations will have the
following specific responsibilities in the AEZ:
§ NGOs: Training and Education of persons/groups engaged in collection of
medicinal plants from wild sources
§ Forests Department: replanting of medicinal plants in forests
§ TBGRI, KIRTADS – undertaking specific R&D projects
§ Kerala State Medicinal Plants Board – facilitation of assistance through NMPB
§ Gram Panchayats - Selection of beneficiaries for training and demonstration
programmes, distribution of planting material etc.
§ KSIDC/KFC – Soft loans for setting up of processing units
§ Kerala State Electricity Board (MPSEB) - To provide need based power supply
to the farmers and processing units. The unit(s) would be able to avail duty
free diesel for power generation as per EXIM policy.
§ Department of Sales Tax - To extend the sales tax, excise duty, octroi
concessions to packaging and other inputs etc. for processing units in the
AEZ. Similar concession should be extended to exporters.
7.9.2 Agencies involved - Central Government
v Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority (APEDA)

APEDA will be the nodal organisation to co-ordinate programmes of various Central
organizations, obtaining approval of the Steering Committee and monitoring the
implementation and putting up review reports to the Steering Committee.
In addition to a nodal agency role, APEDA will also extend assistance under various
schemes.

Specific responsibilities for Agri Export Zone
§ Market development/promotion support by way of sending trade delegations to

and from the target markets
§ Support for setting up / upgradation of processing units
§ Support for setting up / upgradation of quality assurance systems
v National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB)
The Ministry Govt. of India has set up the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB),
which offers financial and technical support for all facets of medicinal plants
production. The complete package of incentives under the NMPB should be
extended for the entire region designated as AEZ in Kerala.
v Department of Agriculture & Co-operation, Ministry of Agriculture
The complete package of incentives available under the various ongoing schemes
of the Ministry should be extended for the entire region designated as AEZ.
v Department of Food Processing Industries (DFPI)

Assistance available to processing units such as grant-in-aid on capital investment
may be extended to the units in AEZ. Various support programmes of the DFPI will be:
Grant in aid and equity participation in post harvest facilities, grading/packing
centres and processing units
v NCDC
Support for setting up farmers’ co-operatives and Self Help Groups for group
activities.
v Indian Institute of Packaging
§ To develop export worthy and acceptable packaging for exports of medicinal

plants and other value added products.
§ To set up a field station for testing of packaging material

8. Funding Mechanism for AEZ
8.1 Funding Mechanism
The total cost of various activities under the AEZ is estimated at Rs. 21.62 crores, of
which Rs. 7.56 crores can be financed through the existing schemes of various
central Government departments and Rs. 691 by state govt. organizations. In
addition to this, the state government will also contribute in kind in the form of land
(about 35-40 ha) for setting up Herbal Gardens and Nursery Centres
Based on this there would be a gap of Rs. 7.15 crores for which private sector
investment would have to be attracted.
Funds requirement at a glance is presented in table below:

Table: Government interventions for financing of Agri Export Zone
(Rs. In Lakhs)
Particulars No./ Cost per unit Total Cost Government support from Private
Capacity (Rs.) for 5 years existing schemes sector
(Rs. Lakhs) investme
nt
Organisa- Assistance
tion amount
Conservation
- Training and education of persons/groups One 1000,000 180.00 NMPB 90.00 -
engaged in collection of medicinal plants from the programm (for 3
wild sources e in each years) State Govt. 90.00
district
Replantation of forests by Forests Deptt. 60 lakhs @ Rs. 5 each 300.00 NMPB 100.00
10 lakhs
per district State Govt. 200.00
in five
years
Herbal gardens 6 @ 1 per 100,000 in 10.80 NHB 10.80 -
district of first year and
size 3-5 ha 40,000 per State Govt. Land
year for next
2 years
Area expansion for cultivators & Extension services
Area under small farmers < 2ha - Demonstration and 10 farms of 10,000 50.00 NMPB 25.00 25.00
Training for high quality-commercial production 1-2 ha size per ha
(pilot/model farms for compact area development) per district
§ pre and post harvest management in five
§ selection of varieties years,
§ inter-cropping techniques- covering
450-500 ha

nt
tion amount
Area under medium farmers 2 to 10 ha 2 farms per 10,000 30.00 NMPB 12.00 18.00
district of per ha
average
size 5 ha –
total area
300 ha
Area under large farmers >10 ha 2 farms per 10,000 12.00 NMPB 3.6 8.4
district per per ha
year of
average
size 20 ha
– total
area 120
ha
Provision of free Planting material 60 Lakhs @ Rs. 5 each 300.00 NMPB 100.00
10 lakhs
per district State Govt 200.00
in five
years
Nursery centres 6 @ 1 per 125,000 in 12.3 NHB 12.3 -
district first year and
40,000 per State Govt. Land
year for first
2 years
Formation of co-operatives and mobilization of 1 per 100,000 6.00 State Govt. 6.00 -
farmers district
TESTING & QUALITY CONTROL
Laboratories for Quality testing – soil, plant parts, 2 60,00,000 120.00 NHB 35.00 -
nutrients, GLC, HPLC, disease forecasting
State Govt. 85.00
Processing Units

nt
tion amount
- Collection Centres / Pack Houses (drying, grading, 5 per 250,000 75.00 APEDA 12.50 62.50
sizing, sorting, storage and packaging facilities) district (includin
g loans)
Processing units for value added products (extracts, 1 per 100,00,000 600.00 APEDA/ 50.00 550.00
concentrates etc.) including anti microbial district MFPI (includin
treatment g loans)
Quality System Implementation, as per international 36 200,000 for 84.00 APEDA 42.00 42.00
standards (Codex, PFA, ISO 9001, ISO 14000) locations collection
- 36 processing units centres
400,000 for
processing
units
Development of Data Bank and Information system 1 25,00,000 25.00 MoA 15.00 -
(production, development, world market,
international prices, regulations, import procedures NMPB 10.00
policies and procedures etc.)
- Initial studies to create base data for Information 50.00 NMPB 40.00
system (assessment of demand, market
characteristics etc.) State Govt. 10.00
Export Promotion/Marketing
Development and promotion of Brand Equity for 100.00 APEDA 50.00 -
medicinal plants and preparations originating from
India/Kerala State Govt. 50.00
Trade Delegations to important export destinations 6 person 1,00,000 per 18.00 APEDA 9.00 9.00
(including participation in international trade fairs) delegation person (under
each year MDA)
for 3 years

nt
tion amount
Organisation of visits of importers to Kerala 2 8,00,000 per 24.00 APEDA 24.00 -
delegation year (3
s per year years)
(one for
each
season)
Organisation of international workshop/seminar 1 per year 10,00,000 50.00 NMPB 50.00 -
Exposure of farmers/collectors to R&D institutions, 1 per distt. 200,000 60.00 NMPB 60.00 -
model farms etc. (state level training/workshops) Per year
Printing of generic publicity and promotion material - - 5.00 APEDA 5.00 -
R&D projects - Cost to be N.A. APEDA

estimated NMPB
by the _____
concerned
R&D
institutions
Project Monitoring Cell 1 5 lakh per 25.00 State Govt. 25.00 -
Salary of manager year (5
Salary of technical expert 1 years) State Govt.
5 lakh per 25.00 25.00 -
year (5
years)
TOTAL 2162.10 Central 756.20 714.90
govt.
State govt. 691.00

9. Socio Economic Benefits of the Project
9.1 Exports
There will be significant increase in the exports of medicinal plants with the setting
up of proposed AEZ in Kerala, considering that there is a potential to achieve
additional exports of about Rs. 65 crores per year from the fifth year onwards, an
increase of nearly 40% over the present level.
Better realisation in the overseas market will also in turn result in better remuneration
to the farmers and traders.
9.2 Conservation of Forests and Production Enhancement

There will be an overall increase in availability, quality and productivity of
medicinal plants through various interventions suggested in the proposed AEZ.
9.3 Reduction in losses by use of Post harvest Infrastructure

The provision of collection centres and processing units in each district under AEZ,
will help to reduce losses and preservation of medicinal properties. Further setting
up of processing units will enable value addition.
9.4 Technology Improvement

The demonstration effect of the improved practices (agronomic, post harvest,
logistics etc.) will bring general awareness and motivation to the farmers of the
area to adopt modern technology and practices.
Also the implementation of AEZ will make available the modern facilities like
scientific storage, grading and sorting, consumer friendly packaging etc. for
medicinal plants and products.
9.5 Employment and beneficiaries

The project will directly benefit a large number of farmers as well as
groups/communities engaged in collection and trading. Further, the AEZ will also
create direct employment for about 500-1000 people in processing units and other
facilities to be created under the AEZ.

Idukki Thrissur Mallapur Palakkad Erna Wayanad
e am -48 kula exploitable/id
m eal
Long 180 88 200 ha 50 Nil 300/600
term
potential
-No
TFO- Total 57.38 53.72 12.21 Nil 75.03/150.05 @
financial @25700 @22000 @20000 20000 in first
outlay rs per ha in per ha in per ha in year rising
lakhs first year first year first year @10% pa
rising rising rising
@10% pa @10% pa @10% pa
BL - Bank 51.64 22.18 48.35 10.99 Nil 67.52/135.05
loan rs
lakhs
intercrop coconut
Herbal nil nil Nil nil
concentr
ate 24000 1250000
Unit cost 40 pa 25 (5
no of 96 years)
units TFO 86.4 381.58
Lakhs 343.42
BL Lakhs


Mediplant PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mediplant PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mediplant PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF

In India, Medicinal plants sector has traditionally occupied an important position in

The specific issues to be covered are:

§ Current status of various medicinal plants in India was analyzed to understand

1.4 Agri Export Zone Study – The Structure

The definitions in the field of Traditional medicine, also referred to as alternative

Agri Export Zone 4 Cebeco India Private Limited

2.2 Market Characteristics

The prevalence and acceptance of various forms of traditional medicine in various

Canada 70% Traditional Native North Coverage by health insurance is

2.3 World Market for Herbal Products

2.4 Market Segments

Herbal products can be classified into five strategic areas as under:

• Medicinal Botanicals / Botanical Extracts /Herbal or Dietary Supplements: These

Market Share (%)

Source – Heritage Healing Vol. 1, No. 7, Sep 1999

• Nutraceuticals: These are foods containing supplements from natural (botanical)

Agri Export Zone 8 Cebeco India Private Limited

2.5 Production & Exports

2.6 International Standards and Regulations

Developing countries, however, have a large number of traditionally used herbal

Agri Export Zone 9 Cebeco India Private Limited

Agri Export Zone 10 Cebeco India Private Limited

3.2 Market Size

Agri Export Zone 11 Cebeco India Private Limited

3.3 India’s Share in World Trade

Table 3.1: India’s exports of medicinal plants and herbal products

12119043 Gymnema powder 0.78 1.08 1.11 0.49 USA

Agri Export Zone 13 Cebeco India Private Limited

1998-99 130 9 2.7 14.6 .85

Even though Ayurveda is widely recognised as basically an Indian system, novel,

Agri Export Zone 14 Cebeco India Private Limited

Table 3.4 - US Import of Pharma preparations (US$ million)

Table 3.5: US Imports of Medicinal Plants (US$ million)

Source: US Census Bureau

3.4 Distribution of Medicinal Plants

Agri Export Zone 15 Cebeco India Private Limited

Figure 1 – Break up of medicinal plant by their parts utilised

3.5 Medicinal Plants Resource Base

Bark Wood Stem Seeds

Agri Export Zone 16 Cebeco India Private Limited

Several medicinal plants have been assessed as endangered, vulnerable and

3.6 Trade in Medicinal Plants

Agri Export Zone 17 Cebeco India Private Limited

3.7 Value Added Products From Medicinal Plants

Traditionally, the herbal medicines were produced manually in small quantities, by

Agri Export Zone 18 Cebeco India Private Limited

3.8.1 Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM&H)

3.8.2 National Medicinal Plants Board

« Simplification of transit permits/legal procurement certificates for raw drugs

Agri Export Zone 19 Cebeco India Private Limited

3.9 Indian standards

3.9.1 Pharmacopoeia standards

3.9.2 Quality Standards for Medicinal Plants

3.10 Schemes/Incentives for Promotion of Traditional Medicine

3.10.1 Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

Table 3.6: NMPB Financial Assistance available to farmers

• Schemes of Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homoeopathy

3.10.2 Ministry of Environment & Forests