Parliament Question: Cultivation of Medicinal Plants

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 platformto 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. Name of the Cost Norms Pattern of Assistance No. Component 1 Medicinal Plants Rs. Assistance @ 40% in general areas for an (Mulethi, Shatavari, 1,50,000/ha area upto 2 ha.on pro rata basis for meeting Kalihari, Shwet the expenditure on planting material and cost Musali, Guggle, of material for INM/IPM etc. in 2 Manjishtha, Kutki, instalments of 60:40 Atees, Jatamansi, In the case of NE & Himalayan States, Ashwagandha, Scheduled areas including TSP (Tribal Sub Brahmi, Tulsi, Plan) areas, vibrant villages, Andaman & Vidarikand, Pippali, Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands, Chirata, Pushkarmool assistance will be @ 50% for an area upto2 etc.) 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 (AICRP- MAPB) 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. Year Project Tile &Organization Details Sanctioned No amount (in lakhs) 1 2020- Project Tile - Bioactivity guided fractional and isolation of 21.382 21 bioactive compounds from selected medicinal plants with anticancer potential against triple negative breast cancer.

Organization - Collage of Veterinary and Animal Science, Mannuthy Pin 680651.

2 2021- Project Tile - In vivo and In vitro study on synergistic effect of 40.10229 22 medicinal plants in breast cancer of mice.

Organization - Central University of Himachal Pradesh Shahpur Campus, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh PIN: 176206 3 2021- Project Tile - Isolation and evaluation of Bioactive Components 38.277419 22 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 4 2022- Project Tile - Isolation, characterization of herbal plant 23 constituents and their effect on curing Osteoporosis using osteoblastic cell lines 20.0133 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: 2013015 2022- Project Tile - Deciphering the response of Ficus fruit 38.05252 23 polysaccharides on Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Organization - Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

6 2022- Project Tile - Bioassay guided fractionation of Acacia catechu 22.2 23 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 7 2023- Project Tile - Cytotoxic evaluation of the non-polar compound 24 of Valeriana wallichii against MDR Aacinetobacter baumannii. 18.338 Organization - Amity University, Sector – 125, Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, UP – 201301.