Even as the ‘Oushadha Keralam-2013’, the ayurveda trade expo organised by State Medicinal Plant Board (SMPB) and the Ayurveda communities in Kerala, has attracted a number of manufacturers and showcased a variety of products in the ancient system of treatment, the farmers of medicinal plants in Kerala remained an aggrieved lot for not finding any solution for their grievances and the unfair treatment they receive from big manufacturing companies, it is learnt.

In all the seminars held in the five days Expo, the manufacturers were keen to express before the government and the public that they were facing scarcity of quality raw drugs to produce quality medicines, and sought the intervention of the authorities for support of cultivation of medicinal plants, especially those in the rare species.  In the presence of union minister of state for health and family welfare, the general secretary of Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers Organisation of India (AMMOI), Dr D Ramanathan expressed concern on the mounting problems and wanted the government to give maximum attention to the industry issues. The minister has given assurance that the government and the department of Ayush will encourage the system of Ayurveda with maximum support.

Whereas, the farmers who have attended the five days Expo are still frustrated as they could not achieve a viable solution for their problems, according to their responses. While speaking in the seminars, major suppliers of raw drugs said they are not treated or entertained fairly by the big companies like Kottakkal Aryavaidyasala. According to them big companies have only negative attitudes towards the farmers. One farmer has gone to the extent of saying in the seminar that the attitude of Kottakkal Aryavaidyasala is as though the cultivators are ‘terrorists’.

Expressing anguish over the unfair treatment by Kottakkal Hospital, G Sheljin, a cultivator and all India supplier of ‘vetiver roots’ (Raamacham), an important raw drug for major ayurvedic drugs, said while speaking at the buyer-seller meet, “We are being considered as inferior quality people and not given any fair treatment by the big manufacturing companies. Sometimes we face harassment from their officials at their door step. They do not know the hazards and the toils we undertake to bring up these crops. When the produce is taken to them, they look at us as second rate citizens and our products are not entertained. With only high pressure we will be able to sell our products to them.”

Reji Joseph, a cultivator of gooseberry, who was awarded Rs. 5000 after having selected him as the best cultivator, told Pharmabiz that the manufacturers’ attitude is like what existed in the ancient feudal system. “They are behaving like landlords and looking at us as tenants. All the manufacturers have got a feudal mind. Only insulting treatment we are getting from these manufacturers. Without their support, how can we do this medicinal plant farming?,” he asked.

He said he is cultivating gooseberry in 65 acres of land. But the manufacturing companies in Kerala prefer the product supplied by north Indian sellers. He commented that if the problems of the cultivators were solved amicably, there would not be any shortage of raw drugs for the production of ayurvedic drugs in Kerala.

When contacted AMMOI general secretary Dr D Ramanathan said the farmers are cultivating medicinal plants without holding any pre-consultation with the manufacturers. “We need several plant materials for one medicine. But they are bringing only one item of them, and that too without our consent or order. Let them have discussion with us before they start farming. Let them cultivate the plants as per our requirements. We cannot take the produces that we don’t need,” he replied.

The buyer-seller meet was attended by large number of farmers, but the number of buyers attended them were very few. Though the meeting raised so many issues faced by the plant cultivators, no assurance about the prices for produces was given to them either by SMPB or by the manufacturers association.

According to K G Sreekumar, the CEO of state medicinal plant board (SMPB) and the president of the organising committee, the National Medicinal Plant Board has given Rs. 35 lakh for conducting the trade expo, and the Ayush department has contributed Rs. five lakh. Fund collections were also held from manufacturing companies who showcased their products in the exhibition in separate stalls. There were more than 150 stalls of big and small companies from across the country.

There was complaint from the side of homoeopathy system that no due consideration was given to that system in the trade expo. There was only one small stall in the exhibition for homoeopathy and no free clinic represented the system in the medical camps at the site. The pharmacist who attended the stall said ninety percent of the crude drugs used for homoeo medicines are from medicinal plants.