National Medicinal Plants Board
The National Medicinal Plants Board has been established by Government of India in the year 2000 under the Ministry of AYUSH for promoting medicinal plants sector in the country.
The activities of the Board include implementation of “Central Sector Scheme on Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants” which focusses on conservation of medicinal plants through multi-pronged strategy, capacity building , research , technology development , promoting IEC & development of herbal gardens and secondly “National AYUSH Mission” which contemplates establishment of a National Mission as well as corresponding Missions in the State level. The Mission is directed towards improving significantly the Department’s outreach in terms of planning, supervision and monitoring of the schemes.
AFC has been privileged to be associated with National Medicinal Plants Board since 2007 in terms of monitoring and evaluation of their programs. The exercise pre-supposes program tracking and monitoring of the achievements made by the State implementing agencies ; through discussions with the State AYUSH Mission, State Medicinal Plant Board (SMPB), State Forest Department , Universities , Research Institutions & Non-Governmental Organisations in the respective States and evaluating the outcome and impact of the program. The results of the M&E exercise have been helpful for NMPB to make necessary mid-course corrections and consider while taking certain policy decisions.
Assignment 1 : Monitoring and Evaluation of Projects funded by the Board
1. National Mission on Medicinal Plants
The program contemplates to integrate commercial cultivation of prioritized species with pre – and post cropping activities in various agro-climatic regions of the Country. Grant-in-aid is being provided to those farmers interested in undertaking cultivation of the identified 140 species , of which 75 species are demand driven and the rest are endangered species.
While AFC undertook evaluation of the program funded during 2012 to 2016 ,it was learnt that out of 140 species, 61 have been brought under cultivation in 341 districts spread over 25 States of the Country. Besides, encouraging farmers to undertake cultivation of medicinal species, an assistance of Rs. 1075 million provided by NMPB for selected nine species ( Aloe-barbadensis (Ghirtikumari), Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh), Cassia angustifolia (Senna), Chlorophytum borivillianum (Safed-musli), Coleus forskohlii (Coleus), Gloriosa superba (Kalihari), Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi), Piper longum (Pippali) and Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha)) has resulted in generation of an income to the tune of Rs. 11105 million , realized from sale of the harvested raw produce by the farmers.
Capacity Building
(Amla Campaign, Training & Capacity Building, In-situ/Ex-situ Conservation, Resource augmentation, Setting-up of Medicinal Plants Conservation and Development Areas and Herbal Gardens)
2.1 Amla Campaign
NMPB had released Rs.188 million to selected 19 State Medicinal Plant Boards for giving wide publicity about use of Amla, enhancement of production and increase in consumption as well as planting of the species in schools, kitchen gardens and in public premises for health benefits in a big way.
It was found that 7.5 million seedlings of Amla species had been planted at Government, private schools, Anganwadi, Prisons, Colleges, Universities and farmers land . The impetus and enthusiasm of the work execution was evident on more than one count. Printing of hand-out and information literature in vernacular languages provided a lot of fillip in reaching the message to the rural masses.
The Campaigns not only made aware of the uses of amla but also gave demonstration on how to prepare as many as 25 different dishes by using amla.
2.2 Training & Capacity Building
An amount of Rs. 457.60 lakh had been released by NMPB for Training & Orientation purpose to 21 States in the country during 2008-09 & 2009-10. The respective State Horticulture Departments have successfully organized 288 programs within the State benefitting 0.21 lakh farmers and 43 programs outside the State for the benefit of 1561 farmers. In addition to this, officials from concerned State Departments have also participated in workshop/ Seminars (exposure visits) organized outside their States for enhancing knowledge of 6926 farmers.
In addition to this, concerned implementing agencies have also published and distributed 6000 copies of the guidelines, 8100 souvenirs, 77.50 lakh brochures, 1.55 lakh stickers supplemented with advertisement through Radio, Print Media, Exhibitions, etc. about the role played by NMPB and the schemes which are being implemented by them across the Country.
2.3 In-situ/Ex-situ Conservation,Resource augmentation and Medicinal Plants Development Areas.
Keeping in view of the conservation of “Genetic Resources”, NMPB has also taken initiatives in this direction and sanctioned various projects for conservation of species which are considered to have been important source of medicinal or therapeutic components and are prioritized as medicinal plants having commercial / industrial potential as well as those identified by the different Departments of the Government of India.
Major Species brought under Conservation
NMPB had sanctioned 61 projects pertaining to conservation of species as per State specific needs to State Forest Departments in 27 States. In the process 347 endangered species (160 tree species, 70 shrubs, 42 climbers and 75 herbs) including RET species at various locations have been conserved.
The “Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas” (MPCAs) projects possessing 8785ha of area represent “ in-situ component” of the conservation program. These sites have an average area of 200 ha to 500ha of area with wide topographical and altitudinal variations. Presently, all created MPCAs act as live field gene banks for medicinal plants of India. Besides plantation work, soil & water & conservation works like laying trenches, construction of check-dams (stone), fencing (stone-wall and digging of trenches) have also undertaken at all the plantation sites.
Entry Point Activities have been carried-out based on the requirements of the local villagers/inhabitants like construction of Threshing floor, Pucca Floor at Schools & Community Halls (Tamil nadu), erecting water reservoir (Nagaland), provision of civic facilities (bathroom and toilets), distribution of utensils, TV & musical instruments in Schools, promotion of poultry, mushroom cultivation, embroidery work, providing drinking water facilities/percolation tank,etc.. The EPAs have developed confidence amongst the local people especially for protection of forest / natural resources from illegal felling/theft. The Projects have significantly contributed in generating 41.09 lakh mandays / employment to the local inhabitants with an average of 127 mandays per ha in the plains and 282 mandays per ha in the hilly States.
2.4 Herbal Garden
Establishment of Herbal garden was also a way of conserving rare, endangered and threatened species of medicinal plants. The initiative taken in this regard was establishment of 25 projects in selected 13 States of the Country (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, J&K, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) wherein 167 tree species including 137 shrubs, 48 climbers and 197 herbs have been raised and conserved in the established herbal gardens. The concept has also helped to promote intergenerational knowledge between schools for effective processing and benefits from medicinal plants. It has been observed that through development of Herbal Medicinal Plants Gardens (HMPGs) in Schools, Colleges, Universities, and Government Secretariats, the importance of conservation practices & uses of medicinal plants have been addressed in our day to day life for better health and immunity.
Assignment–2:“Cost Benefit Analysis of Major 36 Commercially Cultivated Medicinal Plant Species”.
Farmers normally follow traditional practices and only if they get convinced about the economic viability of a new crop they would diversify. For improved production, agronomic practices with new technology & certified farm inputs of high quality have to be used.Likewise Training intuitions need to be adequately strengthened and also equipped with latest know-how for imparting training to farmers.
It was noticed that registered farmers who come under this category are of small and marginal land holding. Therefore, cultivation of medicinal plant species is a comparatively new occupation for these farmers and risk of failure is particularly high. In addition to risk of crop failure, the farmer face serious market related issues and also difficulties in getting remunerative price for the produce. In Mandis, price is decided by traders on the basis of collected raw material from the forest ignoring that cultivated materials have input cost. Besides this, industry also has upper hand in deciding the price. Apart from this, Government has no control over the price offered by Commission agents and hence fluctuation in price at various level compel farmers to sell their produce (raw materials) to the middlemen/commission agents without bargaining .
Keeping in view of the extent of investment made by NMPB in the form of “grant-in-aid” to farmers those opting to cultivate medicinal plants and as well as looking into the interest and enthusiasm shown by the farmers who had initiated cultivation of medicinal plant species . the Board had to take some steps for deciding and fixating of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the farmer’s produce/usufructs. This task was assigned to AFC for undertaking in-depth study for assessing actual cost incurred by farmers for undertaking cultivation of approved medicinal plant species in different agro-climatic regions/ States across the Country.
Assignment – 3: “Supply and Value Chain of Major 100 Medicinal Plant Species in Selected Mandis and Marketing Channel of Medicinal Plants Produce at National Level”.
Trading in medicinal herbs, like any other natural product, suffers from implications in marketing . Such issues are apparent both for supply & demand sides coupled with limitations in marginal-pricing system for such products. Factors contributing to such market limitations are: (i) unique characters of medicinal plants and uncertainty of their availability, (ii) knowledge about medicinal plants being restricted to limited people, (iii) absence of organized market outlets, (iii) interplay of middlemen in the trade and (iv) problems in marginal cost pricing of the medicinal herbs i.e. absence of a mechanism for determining the share of the primary collectors in the final revenue obtained from the finished products. In order to overcome these hindrances NMPB assigned a study in this regard to AFC.
The study contemplated on:
- Documentation of supply chains of a species within and across the States both from wild and cultivated sources, identification of the significant links in the chain while the product reaches the market or the manufacturing industry, identification of forest divisions/ranges significant to the supply of the species,etc.. The Report also focused on specifying the quantities traded in each of the significant supply chain.
- An indepth analysis of the numerous links in the supply chain and identify areas needing action to minimize influence of middlemen and to improve the price at the household level of the traditional collectors from forest areas as well as cultivators.
- Analysis of the policies affecting trade of medicinal plants and also render appropriate recommendations for policy formulation.
- For each significant supply chain, the team would also study the value chain involved and suggest suitable recommendations for NMPB in order to improve the value of the raw or processed material at the primary source. The study attempted to bring out required strategies to improve processing and value addition of raw material at points closer to the initiation of the chain. The market and non-market factors that lead to reduction of value was also to be brought out clearly with respect to respective species.
- o Make suggestion on ways NMPB may streamline and support the supply chain of raw materials. Identify measures to boost the traceability of raw materials in order to ensure sustainability of the sources.
