Karnataka Medicinal Plant Authority (KMPBA) is ready with the strategy for conservation and economic utilization of Medicinal Plants for Karnataka State which has a road map for the 11th Five Year Plan. The decision to frame a strategy was taken by the National Medicinal Plant Board under Ministry of Health.

The strategy document which is almost ready will be presented to the Karnataka government in a month's. This will be submitted to the Centre thereafter.

The need for a strategy for the State comes in to ensure conservation of endangered species and cultivation of medicinal plants and production of quality products. There is an urgent need for the protection of medicinal plants and its cultivation on farm lands, S Venu Gopal. (IFS), CEO, APCCF, Karnataka Medicinal Plants Authority told Pharmabiz.

The key objective of the strategy is not to curb the industry but to alter the sourcing from farm to firm rather than forest to factory. It calls for good raw material pricing to be sought before asking farmers grow more by creating industrial or export demand; Encourage public sector participation to ensure price stability and assured buying. Insitu-conservation of medicinal plant species in forests will increase its multiplication, biodiversity conservation and evolution.

The issue is that currently, 80 per cent of the required medicinal plants are sourced from the forests directly and supplied to the industry. There is no intricate and viable analysis on the quality of these plants sourced from the forest areas. Another problem is that there is a growing reluctance from the farmers to cultivate medicinal plants primarily because of lack good market price and the pressure from the middle men.

"We need to offer the industry good quality raw materials. Therefore there is a need to shift the sourcing of medicinal plants from forests to contract farming sites. A national guidelines with cultivation protocols is the need of the hour, informed the KMPBA chief.

A road map has been chalked out to include the medicinal plants in forest policy and its working plans. Laws are to be framed to restrict and regulate raw material utilization from forests, similar to wild life protection. There is need to nationalize all transaction of endangered species. The introduction of Quality Production Management (QPM) practices during collection, storage, distribution and at nurseries. Focus on genetic improvement, cultivation protocol and market research. Introduction of good agricultural practices and organic farming for high quality of raw materials, besides look at expansion of industry and exports.

Further KMPBA has also included in the strategy, the need for a legal and administrative support. This will include annual budget and grants to support public sector and the private entrepreneurs to participate. Research institutes have also been included to develop a protocol for the cultivation of all medicinal plants including tree species.

The total value of the herbal sector in India is estimated at Rs 8,800 crore. The number of medicinal plants based formulations is estimated at around 25,000. At least 6,200 species can be used for production of plant based formulations. Modern medicine uses 204 species, Homoeopathy 506, Ayurveda 2351, Sidha1785, Unani 979, Tibetan 350 and Folk 5137. Eighty per cent of the population in the developing countries use medicinal plants.