Lok Sabha Question No. 4294 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-20
Subject: Support for Farmers of Medicinal Plants
Ministry: AYUSH
Asked by: Shri Aashtikar Patil Nagesh Bapurao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4294 ANSWERED ON 20/12/2024

## 'Support for Farmers of Medicinal Plants'

## 4294. Shri Aashtikar Patil Nagesh Bapurao:

Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:

- a) whether the Government has any AYUSH schemes to support farmers in Hingoli district in the  State  of  Maharashtra  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  medicinal  plants  used  in  AYUSH systems; and
- b) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) No, Sir. However, 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 including Maharashtra to promote cultivation of medicinal plants 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) under which the following activities are supported:
-  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.

Beside  this,  Ministry  of  Ayush,  Government  of  India  had  implemented  Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Ayush Mission (NAM) for cultivation of medicinal plants from the financial year 2015-16 to 2020-21 throughout the country including Maharashtra. Till date, Ministry of Ayush had released an amount of Rs. 581.994 lakh and supported 1291 hectare area under cultivation of medicinal plants, 6 nurseries, 10 post-harvest management units (storage / godown and drying shed), 2 processing units and 1 collection centre in Maharashtra. Detail is given at Annexure.

The detail  of  activities  approved  in  Maharashtra  under  Medicinal  Plants  Component  of National Ayush Mission (NAM) scheme from the financial year 2015-16 to 2020-21.

|   S. No. | Activities                                          |   2015- 16 |   2016- 17 |   2017- 18 |   2018- 19 |   2019- 20 |   2020- 21 |    TOTAL |
|----------|-----------------------------------------------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|----------|
|        1 | Cultivation of Medicinal Plants (Area in hectare)   |    327     |          0 |    444     |          0 |    520     |          0 | 1291     |
|        2 | Establishment of Nursery                            |      0     |          0 |      2     |          0 |      4     |          0 |    6     |
|        3 | Post-harvest Management                             |      0     |          0 |      2     |          0 |      8     |          0 |   10     |
|        4 | Processing Unit                                     |      0     |          0 |      1     |          0 |      1     |          0 |    2     |
|        5 | Rural / District Collection Centres / Retail outlet |      0     |          0 |      1     |          0 |      0     |          0 |    1     |
|        6 | Fund released (Rs. in lakh)                         |    123.526 |          0 |    213.005 |          0 |    245.463 |          0 |  581.994 |