Ayush Ministry to launch a Rs 4,000 crore Mission Vrikshayush for promoting herbal medicines

For an efficient supply chain management in the plantation of medicinal plants, the Government is  ready to launch Mission Vrikshayush and a Rs 4000-crore scheme of herbal cultivation has been shared in the cabinet, according to a senior official of the Centre’s AYUSH Ministry. 

 Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, on Tuesday said that, with a proper regulatory system, India stands to gain enormously as a producer of traditional ayurvedic goods in the global market.

The Ministry of AYUSH and MSME Ministry has signed an MoU to give impetus to the AYUSH sector where all schemes of the MSME industry will be applicable for the AYUSH sector. 

Dr Manoj Nesari, Adviser, Ministry of AYUSH, said, as a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, there is a tremendous scope in manufacturing and cultivation of medicinal plants for the herbal sector. The herbal market has tremendous growth potential and it is expected to grow by 129 thousand million by 2023. He further expressed that quality is critical for global market registration and that there is a need to develop herbal monographs that will provide a boost to the industry and facilitate export.

Senior officials of the AYUSH Ministry were speaking at a Webinar organized by FICCI. 

Vaidya Kotecha said that the world’s growing fascination towards Ayurveda, traditional and alternative medicine is a huge opportunity for Indian manufacturers to dominate the market. Amid challenges posed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, India can become a manufacturing hub for the world market through Ayurveda. This opportunity can provide a substantial source of income for farmers and companies across the country, he said.

Arvind Varchaswi, MD, Sri Sri Tattva & Co-Chair, FICCI, AYUSH Committee, said manufacturing excellence under the AYUSH Industry has gone through a transformation with immense support from the government. Manufacturing practices have been the highlights of the Sector and the industry is working together to ensure the best practices in this industry, he said.

Dr Sulaiman CT, Senior Scientist & Head, Phytochemistry Division, Centre for Medicinal Plants Research (CMPR), Arya Vaidya Sala Kottakkal, said that an important issue that Ayurvedic industry faces today is the non-availability of genuine herbs in required quantities leading to adulteration and unauthorized institution that affects the quality of medicines adversely. He further mentioned that despite the efforts taken by the authorities to promote the cultivation of medicinal plants, the problem of raw material scarcity leading to adulteration remains a concern to the industry.