Lok Sabha Question No. 976 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-05
Subject: Cultivation of Medicinal Plants
Ministry: AYUSH
Asked by: Dr. Anand Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED ADMITTED QUESTION NO. 976 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05/12/2025

## Promoting cultivation of medicinal plants

## 976 Dr. Anand Kumar:

Will the Minister of Ayush be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps being taken by the Government to promote the cultivation of medicinal plants in the country;
- (b) whether financial assistance or assistance for the sale of produce is being provided to farmers engaged in the cultivation of medicinal plants and if so, the numbers of farmers benefitted  therefrom  across  the  country,  including  Uttar  Pradesh,  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (c) the  details  of  the  schemes  formulated/to  be  formulated  to  promote  the  cultivation  of medicinal plants/herbs/ rare plants in the country;
- (d) whether the Government has conducted any survey to identify rare species of medicinal plants and herbs and if so, the details and the findings thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government has commissioned any research on properties and effects of medicinal plants during the last five years and if so, the details and the findings thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) Presently, 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  to  promote  the cultivation of medicinal plants wherein following activities are supported:

- (i) Information  Education  &  Communication  (IEC)  activities  like  Training  / Workshops / Seminars/ Conferences etc.
- (ii) 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.
- (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.

NMPB,  Ministry  of  Ayush,  Government  of  India  has  approved  139  projects  for organizing  training  program/seminars/workshops  for  promotion  of  cultivation  of  medicinal plants throughout the country during the financial year 2020-21 to 2024-25, for an amount of Rs.1161.96 Lakh. Apart  from  it,  National  Medicinal  Plants  Board  (NMPB),  through  its Regional-cum-Facilitation Centre (RCFCs) located at different regions of the country provide Quality  Planting  Material  (QPM)  of  medicinal  plants  to  farmers/  growers  to  promote cultivation of medicinal plants in the country . In  addition, through these RCFCs training & workshops  on  Good  Agriculture  Practices  (GAPs)  &  Good  Field  Collection  Practices (GFCPs) are also organized from time to time.

(b) There is no financial assistance or assistance for the sale of produce, being provided to farmers engaged in the cultivation of medicinal plants.  However, to provide a platform for trade of medicinal plants & to provide easy market access, National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of Ayush has launched 'e-CHARAK' Mobile application as well as web portal for the promotion and marketing of medicinal plants/herbs. e-CHARAK is a platform to enable information exchange between various stakeholders mainly farmers involved in the medicinal  plants  sector  across  the  country.  The  e-CHARAK  application  is  available  in different  local  languages  and  also  provides  fortnightly  market  price  of  100  MPs  from  25 herbal markets across India.

(c) Mission  for Integrated Development  of  Horticulture  (MIDH),  under  Ministry  of Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare,  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  is  being  implemented  for holistic growth of the horticulture sector including medicinal plants throughout the country.

Under MIDH scheme, provision has been made for providing assistance for area expansion of short duration medicinal plants i.e. non-perennial in nature and non-tree species. Details of cost norms alongwith the pattern of assistance are as under:

|   S. No. | Name of the Component                                                                                                                                                                  | Cost Norms      | Pattern of Assistance                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Medicinal Plants (Mulethi, Shatavari, Kalihari, Shwet Musali, Guggle, Manjishtha, Kutki, Atees, Jatamansi, Ashwagandha, Brahmi, Tulsi, Vidarikand, Pippali, Chirata, Pushkarmool etc.) | Rs. 1,50,000/ha | Assistance @ 40% in general areas for an area upto 2 ha.on pro rata basis for meeting the expenditure on planting material and cost of material for INM/IPM etc. in 2 instalments of 60:40 In the case of NE & Himalayan States, Scheduled areas including TSP (Tribal Sub Plan) areas, vibrant villages, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands, assistance will be @ 50% for an area upto2 ha. on pro rata basis. |

(d)    Yes,  the  Government of  India has conducted extensive surveys and studies to identify rare,  endangered,  and  threatened  species  of  medicinal  plants  and  herbs  across  the  country. These activities are primarily carried out by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

## It is reported that: -

-  An estimated more than 8,000 species of medicinal plants are found in India.
-  Surveys  by  different  government  agencies  have  identified  over  5,250  plant  species and documented over 9,567 folk claims for various ailments.

Through survey and exploration of the wild plant resources to different  phytogeographical regions  of  the  country,  the  scientists  of  BSI  have  also  identified  Medicinal  and  Aromatic Plant species and documented about 2034 ethnobotanical information on traditional/medicinal  knowledge  in  the  tribal  regions  of  Odisha,  Gujarat,  Bihar,  Tharu  and Bhoksa tribe of Uttarakhand, Lodh tribes of West Bengal.

(e) Yes,  National  Medicinal  Plants  Board  (NMPB),  Ministry  of  AYUSH,  under  its  Central Sector  Scheme  on  'Conservation,  Development  and  Sustainable  Management  of  Medicinal Plants'  provides  project  based  financial  support  for  research  activities  on  various  aspects  of medicinal plants to government as well as private universities/research institutions/organizations  across  the  country.  The  details  of  specific  projects  supported  by NMPB on properties and effects of medicinal plants during the last five years are as per details given in Annexure- I .

Additionally, Indian Council for Agriculture Research- Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research (ICAR-DMAPR), Anand, Gujarat along with All India Coordinated  Research  Project  on  Medicinal  and  Aromatic  Plants  &  Betelvine  (AICRPMAPB)  headquartered  at  IACR-DMAPR,  Anand  are  actively  engaged  in research  and development in all aspects of medicinal plants, development of agro-techniques, post-harvest management and storage & processing. AICRP-MAPB has 28 centres (including 6 voluntary centres) situated across the country.

## Annexure-I

Details of projects supported under Central Sector Scheme for conservation, development and sustainable management of medicinal plants to different organizations throughout country for R&D activities during the last five years.

|   Sr. No | Year     | Project Tile &Organization Details                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |   Sanctioned amount (in lakhs) |
|----------|----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|        1 | 2020- 21 | Project Tile - Bioactivity guided fractional and isolation of bioactive compounds from selected medicinal plants with anticancer potential against triple negative breast cancer. Organization - Collage of Veterinary and Animal Science, Mannuthy Pin 680651.                                                                                                                                                             |                        21.382  |
|        2 | 2021- 22 | Project Tile - In vivo and In vitro study on synergistic effect of medicinal plants in breast cancer of mice. Organization - Central University of Himachal Pradesh Shahpur Campus, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh PIN: 176206                                                                                                                                                                                                    |                        40.1023 |
|        3 | 2021- 22 | Project Tile - Isolation and evaluation of Bioactive Components of Young Roots and Leaf Extracts of Bilva for IL-2 Immunotherapy: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies. Organization - School of Life Sciences, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana-500046                                                                                                                                                                             |                        38.2774 |
|        4 | 2022- 23 | Project Tile - Isolation, characterization of herbal plant constituents and their effect on curing Osteoporosis using osteoblastic cell lines Organization1 - Sharda University Address: Plot No. 32, 34, Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh PIN: 201310 Organization2 - NICPR ICMR Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India, I-7, Sector- 39, Noida, UP PIN: 201301 |                        20.0133 |

|   5 | 2022- 23   | Project Tile - Deciphering the response of Ficus fruit polysaccharides on Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Organization - Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.                                                                                                                            |   38.05252 |
|-----|------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------|
|   6 | 2022- 23   | Project Tile - Bioassay guided fractionation of Acacia catechu and Rhodiola imbricata for the inhibition of PEPCK gene expression and gluconeogenesis in H4IIE hepatoma cell line. Organization - National Forensic Sciences University (An Institute of National Importance under Ministry of Home Affairs) Sector 3, Rohini New Delhi-110085 |     22.2   |
|   7 | 2023- 24   | Project Tile - Cytotoxic evaluation of the non-polar compound of Valeriana wallichii against MDR Aacinetobacter baumannii . Organization - Amity University, Sector - 125, Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, UP - 201301.                                                                                                                            |     18.338 |