The Kerala State Medicinal Plant Board (KSMPB), in association with the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), has initiated a first of its kind comprehensive study on the status of herbal raw material utilization by the Ayurvedic industry in the state. The study envisions developing long-term strategies and methodology for promoting medicinal plant cultivation and establishing a dedicated quality raw material supply chain to the industry.

The move of the two major Government organizations, involving all the stakeholders related to Ayurveda, will attempt to assess the raw material consumption pattern of the 800 odd licensed drug manufacturers, treatment centres, the decentralized traditional healers and mushrooming Ayurvedic massage parlors in the health tourism segment. The study has taken off a few weeks ago.

Disclosing this exclusively to Pharmabiz, N.Gopinathan, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kerala State Medicinal Plant Board, said KFRI would submit its interim report within a year, and the final report in another one or two years. Based on the interim report, the board will come out with a detailed strategy and action plan to cultivate herbs and medicinal trees specific to the raw material requirements of the Ayurvedic industry in the state.

Though most of the major Ayurvedic firms in Kerala have their own supply chain and medicinal plant gardens, the industry is yet to comprehensively assess the status of raw material availability, requirements in future, utilisation of herbs for manufacturing oils and medicines by the decentralized treatment centres and health tourism sector, rare and near extinct herbs etc.

Many of the firms also source certain raw materials from outside the state. Unavailability of quality raw materials and certain rare and endangered medicinal herbs have become a perennial problem for most of the established Ayurvedic drug manufacturers to make certain specific traditional medicines and decoctions. The primary aim of the study would involve generating the actual data related to the industry, availability of raw materials and requirements, future demand etc., which could help the board to promote cultivation of specific herbs and medicinal trees, said Gopinathan.

“Many of the raw materials utilized by the industry are available only in the forest. The KFRI could give us a correct picture on what all we could think of cultivating in a large scale in similar natural habitats, including some of the trees and herbs grown only in the forest. Now out of a total of 104-forest products the tribals can take out from the forest, about 80 products have relevance to the Ayurvedic industry. It is difficult for the fast growing industry to depend alone on the tribal community to source these raw materials. Strategies have to be worked out to grow them in other natural habitats” elaborated Gopinathan.

According to a rough estimate, only less than 500 hectares of land in the state is currently under medicinal plant cultivation. Last year, the Kerala State Medicinal Plant Board had approved and recommended 13 projects, including three projects from public sector firms like Oushadhi, Kerala State Agricultural University and KFRI, to the National Medicinal Plant Board to cultivate medicinal herbs in the state. Approval has been given to these projects worth Rs.1.78 crores, said Gopinathan.