Medicinal Plants in India - Report & Directory
For some time, serious need has been felt for quantitative
information with regard to demand, availability, prices,
imports and exports and other economic parameters
relating to medicinal plants. Keeping this in view,
the Department of Indian Systems of Medicines and
Homeopathy (ISM&H), Government of India, Ministry
of Health & Family Welfare and the World Health
Organization commissioned a study to the Centre for
Research, Planning & Action, New Delhi, to make
a quantitative assessment of demand and other parameters
for 162 selected medicinal plants. These 162 selected
plants were considered to be of relatively greater
importance to the ISM&H sub-sector.
Whereas considerable botanical information was available
with regard to various pieces of medicinal plants
and also their therapeutic value, data base on economic
information was completely lacking. It is in this
context that Centre for Research, Planning & Action
carried out a comprehensive study based on interviews
with a large number of respondent categories including
manufacturing units, practitioners, R&D units,
policymakers, forest officials, traders/suppliers,
cultivators and collectors of medicinal plants in
forest areas in which, generally, tribals are engaged.
The report published by CERPA has been well received
both in the government and trade and industry. However,
since only limited copies of this report were prepared
and the same are not available to general public,
the Institute of Economic & Market Research, a
sister organisation of CERPA, has taken the: initiative
to print the present " Market Research Report
and Directory of Medicinal Plants". The important
parameters, findings, and suggestions as developed
by the CERP A for the study on Demand for Selected
Medicinal Plants carried out on behalf of Dept.of
ISM&H and the WHO, have been incorporated in this
Report and Directory.
The present study presents not only the important
parameters obtained from the referred report but also
provides a directory giving names, addresses and other
details of major exporters and importers of Ayurvedic
and herbal products, research and training organizations
dealing with medicinal plants, extension service providers
in this sub sector, leading foreign and NRI manufacturers,
exporters and suppliers and leading foreign and NRI
importers and buyers.
A list of manufacturers has been separately provided
in the directory of Manufacturers of Ayurvedic, Unani,
Siddha and Homeopathy Systems of Medicines published
eariier by this Institute. This directory, which carries
about ten thousand .addresses of manufacturers of
ISM&H products, has been well received.
We hope this publication will bridge an important
gap in the information available on the subject of
medicinal plants and its products and will go a long
way in assisting appropriate policy making by the
government and the industry.
| 1st
August, 2003 |
S.
P. AHUJA |
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