Ravinder Kumar Agarwal, chairman & managing director, Natural Remedies Pvt Ltd, Bangalore is of the view that India could be one of the major in players in the global herbal market, provided this sector takes right steps to adopt stringent scientific validation and documentation of medicinal herbs.
Agarwal began his career in his early teens in 1946 and over the years has acquired a deep understanding of herbs, their quality and uses.
Taking on the mantle of Natural Remedies since 1978, he has led his company to specialize in herbal extracts and has made his company a name to reckon with in herbal animal health business. The company has later entered the herbal human segment and provided the first-ever natural anti-rhinitis product Aller. To create a niche in the herbal market, Agarwal has also set up a world-class research facility and state-of-art manufacturing plant.
In an interview with Nandita Vijay of Pharmabiz.com, he provides an overview of the herbal sector in the country.

What are the key trends of herbal products research in India and worldwide?

In the modern world, there are an increasing number of people becoming health conscious and want to supplement their diet with essential nutrients. So the chief objective of research is to focus on finding new health supplements for healthy living. Since the solutions to chronic diseases are not found satisfactory with the chemical drugs, the herbal companies are concentrating on providing safe and effective solutions for the chronic diseases that haunt the lifestyle of the modern man.

What are the challenges in India and globally in the area of contract research for herbal extracts? How large are these markets?

The concept of contract research is new. However, it is catching up.India can be a good hub for the contract research because of the availability of highly qualified and trained manpower at reasonable costs.As a country, we have not positioned ourselves as a major place of contract research in the world.It is difficult to estimate the market size since it is still at a nascent stage.

In your opinion, is India at the cutting edge of herbal research developments?

There is no doubt that India is at the cutting edge of herbal research.There are a wide variety of medicinal plants already described in our ancient texts and many of these are being used in various forms in our traditional system, complemented by trained and qualified scientists.

What are the key government issues to be taken in the area of herbal extracts?

The government needs to frame conducive policies towards the sustainable use of natural herbs.There is a need to impart training towards cultivation and collection of right quality of herbs. We, at Natural Remedies, have made a move towards this venture and we have imparted training to the tribal leaders and forest officials from Chhattisgarh regarding the sustainable cultivation of herbs.

What are the criteria upon which the selection of medicinal plants is based?

The first and foremost criterion is the market need followed by the information regarding the use of a particular herb. The knowledge about the standardization and quality control of the herb and the availability of the raw material also becomes vital.

What are the prevailing issues and standards in the sector? Is this, in any way, deterring the growth of the sector?

Validation on the modern, scientific and internationally accepted standards about the usage of Indian medicinal plants is one of the major issues. Establishing measurable, reproducible phytochemical standards is another important requirement for the international market.Manufacturing facilities of international standards fulfilling the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and other regulatory requirement is an important necessity for the growth of Indian herbal industry.

How big is the Indian herbal extract industry currently and what is its biggest concern of the sector?

The Indian herbal extracts industry has grown with the years and today, it is estimated to be valued between Rs 500 crore and Rs 600 crore. The biggest concern is to establish the efficacy of Indian medicinal plants on modern scientific parameters and produce them in hygienically maintained good manufacturing facilities.

What is the status of the herbal extracts industry worldwide?

After an excellent good growth for about a decade, the world industry is growing in single digits. However, the Indian herbal industry continues to grow consistently.

Where does India rank in the area of herbal extracts in the world market?

India entered the world herbal extract market very late and our market share is very less when compared to other European countries and China. The day is not far, when India too would be one of the main players in the global market, provided we as a country take the right steps for scientific validation and documentation of our traditional medicinal herbs.

How receptive is the global market for herbal research and extracts?

The world is very receptive to scientifically validated and well-researched new products. As the modern chemical medicinal combinations are taking a toll on the lifestyle of the modern man, scientifically validated and well researched herbal health products are getting popular with the global population.

What are the thrust areas Natural Remedies is looking at in the current calendar year?

Natural Remedies is focusing in the areas of "allergic rhinitis" and "anxiety" for the current year. After six long years of intensive research and clinical trials, Natural Remedies has produced NR-A2, the poly herbal, patented formulation, for the complete management of allergic rhinitis. The product is launched in the US and Canada. The US patent has been accepted and the patents have been filed in 30 different developed countries, where the product would be launched soon.
With the addition of new state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities we will be able to produce more than 500 tones of extracts every year, which according to us will take care of our growth for the next two years.

Where do you see Natural Remedies five years from now?

To be recognized as a global provider of high quality human health solutions from herbs.

What are the factors that have driven the company to growth?

Our understanding of the market needs with a commitment to high quality standards.