Thane division of Maharashtra, which encompasses Thane, Ratnagiri, Raigarh and Sindhudurg districts, is fast emerging as an ayurvedic manufacturing hub. It has taken a lead in setting up a total of 89 new units amongst the seven divisions of the state since 2005.

According to Dr Suhas Walchale, technical officer and licensing authority, Department of Ayurveda, Maharashtra, “In the last one year also Thane has taken the lead as it has set up three units, followed by Pune two units, Nagpur two units and Aurangabad one unit in the year 2013. Amravati and Mumbai divisions in Maharashtra have not fared well with no units during this period."

This can be attributed to the fact that there is abundant availability of raw material in areas adjoining it like Asangaon, Kasara, Vasai, Virar with Dahanu alone accounting for over 180 species of medicinal herbs. "Besides, Thane Division is a safe haven for packaging manufacturers to supply packaging and labeling material to the upcoming manufacturing units not only for Thane but also for Nashik and Nagpur as unlike Mumbai it does not have the space problems which generally confronts the manufacturers," Dr Walchale said.

As per official records, Thane has a total of 89 units, Pune 63, Nagpur 42, Nashik 35, Aurangabad 20 unit and Amravati nine units.

Though Maharashtra boasts of two Ayush clusters Konkan and Pune likely to be operational soon, experts find lack of availability of raw material as the major impediment in the production of Ayurvedic products but feel that Thane division can provide the much required boost to the trade owing to the favourable conditions and environment for growth.

With growing public orientation towards ayurvedic medicines,  Pune cluster has also conceptualised an Ayurvedic cafe for the development of Ayurveda cuisine, a dedicated raw material processing centre for supply of standardized, graded, certified and processed raw materials in bulk to the ayurvedic manufacturers.

Procurement of the raw materials will be done by the cluster from the farmers growing herbal and medicinal plants across the country by setting up backward linkages. The project is also estimated to give employment to 108 people directly and 1000 people indirectly.

Pune cluster would bring about quality improvement of raw material and finished goods, reduction in the individual capital investment through contract manufacturing, reduction in the pre manufacturing time (40 per cent time saving) by virtue of bulk raw material supply, reduction in the packaging and labeling costs through a common facility centre, reduction in marketing costs by common marketing and branding (40 per cent cost saving), development of new drugs, process design and validation to compete globally, IPR protection and assistance in R&D and global exposure through common exhibitions.