What happened

The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), under the Ministry of Ayush, is implementing the Central Sector Scheme Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants across India. The Union government says the scheme promotes medicinal plant cultivation, conservation, research, and market linkage.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush Shri Prataprao Jadhav said the NMPB also supports training, workshops, seminars, and conferences; forward and backward linkages in the supply chain; in-situ and ex-situ conservation; and livelihood linkages with Joint Forest Management Committees, Panchayats, Van Panchayats, Biodiversity Management Committees, and Self Help Groups.

Background and earlier position

Medicinal plants sit at the intersection of biodiversity conservation, traditional medicine, and rural livelihoods. Policy support in this space usually has three parts: conservation of plant resources, production of quality planting material, and creation of markets and processing facilities so cultivation can become economically viable.

The release also notes that the Ministry of Ayush uses the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for assistance to cultivate short-duration medicinal plants, especially non-perennial and non-tree species. NMPB also supports State Forest Departments for plantation and resource augmentation in forest areas, and for cluster-level value addition, drying, warehousing, and marketing infrastructure.

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