Lok Sabha Question No. 3122 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-09
Subject: Production and Processing of Medicinal Plants
Ministry: AYUSH
Asked by: Shri Ajay Bhatt

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †3122 ANSWERED ON 09/08/2024

## 'Production and Processing of Medicinal Plants'

## †3122. Shri Ajay Bhatt:

Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has launched any special scheme for the production and processing of herbs in Himalayan States including Uttarakhand;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  made  provision  for  imparting  marketing  and  technological training to farmers under the said scheme and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to link farmers with new research on herbs and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether other activities are being done for skill development in this area and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (I/C) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYUSH (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) & (b) Yes, Sir. National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of Ayush, Government of  India  is  implementing  Central  Sector  Scheme  on  'Conservation,  Development  and  Sustainable Management  of  Medicinal  Plants' throughout the country wherein following activities are supported:

- (i) Information Education & Communication (IEC) activities like Training / Workshops / Seminars/ Conferences etc.
- (ii) Establishment of nurseries.
- (iii) In-situ conservation / Ex-situ conservation.
- (iv) Livelihood linkages with Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) / Panchayats / Van Panchayats / Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) / Self Help Groups (SHGs).
- (v) Research & Development.
- (vi) Promotion, marketing and trade of medicinal plants produce.
- (vii) Forward  and  backward  linkage  in  supply  chain  of  medicinal  plants  (Integrated Component) - the following activities is supporting under the component:
-  Infrastructure  for  Quality  Planting  Material  to  raise  the  planting  material  of medicinal plants for cultivation.
-  Information Education Communication (IEC) activities to aware the farmers.
-  Infrastructure for Post-Harvest Management  and Marketing to increase the marketability  of  the  medicinal  plants,  adding  value  to  the  produce,  increasing profitability and reducing losses.
-  Quality Testing and Certification of raw material.

(c) Yes,  Sir. National  Medicinal  Plants  Board  (NMPB),  Ministry  of  Ayush  provides  financial assistance  in  project  mode  to  various  institutes/  organizations  throughout  the  country  to  organise awareness  programme,  exposure  visits  and  capacity  building  programmes  (seminars  /  training conferences / workshops, etc.) through Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities under  the Central  Sector  Scheme  (CSS)  for  Conservation,  Development  and  Sustainable Management  of  Medicinal  Plants .  NMPB,  Ministry  of  Ayush  has  supported 240 projects  for various IEC activities to aware the array of stakeholders including farmers about different aspects of medicinal plants like conservation, cultivation, post-harvest management and marketing throughout the country from the financial year 2015-16 to 2023-24 . Detail is given at Annexure - I.

(d) National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of Ayush provides financial assistance in project  mode  to  the  different  organizations  under  research  and  development  activity  of  Central Sector Scheme on Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants on various aspects such as Post-harvest Management, assessment of heavy metals and integrated pest management, Development of agro-techniques, standardization of nursery techniques and cultivation

practices and Intercropping and sustainable production technology of medicinal plants. The outcome of research on the above mentioned aspects are disseminated to the farmers through trainings and other IEC activities. NMPB, Ministry of Ayush has supported 39 projects on the above mentioned aspects under Research & Development activity of Central Sector Scheme from the financial year 2015-16 to 2023-24. Detail of projects supported for research activities is given at Annexure - II.

(e) Yes,  Sir.  National  Medicinal  Plants  Board  (NMPB),  Ministry  of  Ayush  has  supported training projects to various organization across the country to train the farmers on Good Agricultural Practices  (GAP)  and  Good  Field  Collection  Practices  (GFCP)  of  medicinal  plants.  Total 14352 farmers  were  benefited  from  the  financial  year 2015-16  to  2023-24 .  NMPB has also supported a project entitled 'Capacity Building cum Sensitization proposal for Voluntary Certification Scheme for  Medicinal  Plant  Produce  (VCSMPP)'  to  the  Quality  Council  of  India  (QCI),  Ministry  of Commerce  &  Industry,  New  Delhi  for  awareness  programme  on  medicinal  plants.  The  Quality Council of India (QCI) has organized 76 training  programmes and trained 4408 farmers on Good Agricultural  Practices  (GAPs)  and  Good  Field  Collection  Practices  (GFCPs)  of  medicinal  plants. The detail of Achievements are given at Annexure-III.

*****

Year-wise detail of projects approved by National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of  Ayush  under  Information  Education  and  Communication  of  Central  Sector  Scheme  on Conservation,  Development  and  Sustainable  Management  of  Medicinal  Plants  from  the financial year 2015-16 to 2023-24

| S.No.   | Financial Year   |   Number of projects approved by NMPB, Ministry of Ayush |
|---------|------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| 1       | 2015-16          |                                                       11 |
| 2       | 2016-17          |                                                       30 |
| 3       | 2017-18          |                                                       25 |
| 4       | 2018-19          |                                                       40 |
| 5       | 2019-20          |                                                       20 |
| 6       | 2020-21          |                                                       14 |
| 7       | 2021-22          |                                                       26 |
| 8       | 2022-23          |                                                       46 |
| 9       | 2023-24          |                                                       28 |
|         | Total            |                                                      240 |

Detail  of  projects  supported  for  research  activities  under  Central  Sector  Scheme  (CSS)  for Conservation,  Development  and  Sustainable  Management  of  Medicinal  Plants  from  the financial year 2015-16 to 2023-24.

| S.No.   | Research Areas                                                                                  |   Number of Projects |
|---------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|
| i.      | Post-harvest Management, assessment of heavy metals and integrated pest management              |                   16 |
| ii.     | Development of agro-techniques, standardization of nursery techniques and cultivation practices |                   17 |
| iii.    | Intercropping and sustainable production technology                                             |                   06 |
| Total   | Total                                                                                           |                   39 |

Number of farmers trained under the scheme of National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of Ayush  through  project  mode  on  Good  Agricultural  Practices  (GAPs)  and  Good  Field Collection Practices (GFCPs).

| S.No.   | Scheme Name/Component name                                                                                                                              | Number of farmers trained                                                                                 |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.      | Central Sector Scheme (CSS) for Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants.                                               | Central Sector Scheme (CSS) for Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants. |
| i.      | Farmers trained under the projects supported for Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities from the financial year 2015-16 to 2023-24.   | 14352                                                                                                     |
| ii.     | Farmers trained under Voluntary Certification Scheme for Medicinal Plant Produce (VCSMPP) project (project approved during the financial year 2018-19). | 4408                                                                                                      |