Scheme for Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants

The "Central Sector Scheme for Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants" was initated during 2008. The current phase of the scheme has been approved with an outlay of Rs. 322.41 Crores for a period of five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

The scheme is being implemented by the National Medicinal Plants Board .

Objectives

The main objectives of the scheme are as follows:

• Promote in-situ and/or ex-situ Conservation, Resource Augmentation of medicinal plants which are important to the AYUSH Industry and Folk Medicine.
• In situ conservation measures would involve survey, inventorisation and documentation of important medicinal plants in their native/natural habitat coupled with resource augmentation in eco-systems where they form part of the naturally occurring biotic community, preventing degradation of such eco-systems in a holistic manner and reversing the onslaught of invasive alien weeds;
• Promote ex-situ conservation by supporting such programs in rural / degraded forest / public / non-public / institutional lands / urban & peri-urban lands and waste lands.
• Engage the Eco-Task Force mechanism for reversing habitat degradation of medicinal plants. Conservation & development of eco-systems with medicinal plants bio-diversity.
• Promote R&D in all aspects of medicinal plants, development of agro-techniques, postharvest management, storage and processing, developing molecular characterization tools etc.
• Enhance livelihood systems based on medicinal plants for farmers, collectors and other stakeholders.
• Ensure Quality Assurance, Maintain Good Quality Gene Pool Sources of medicinal plants and aromatic plants having medicinal applications. Mapping, upgrading, modernizing of Medicinal Plants supply chain and creating/ optimizing market linkages and value addition.
• Quality standardization, Good Collection Practices and Good Agricultural Practices for Medicinal Plants.
• Information, Education and Communication - through seminars, trainings and exposure visits promote capacity building and human resource development through appropriate inter-state and international exposure. Promote publication of documents, monographs, technical bulletins, documentaries, brochures, posters, other publicity materials, etc.
• Take steps to meet India’s international obligations in the context of medicinal plant biodiversity and promote bilateral / international cooperation.
• Strengthen NMPB so as to more efficiently co-ordinate all matters related to medicinal plants and function as a clearing house of information on medicinal plants including their occurrence, usage, ethno-botanical uses, cultivation practices, Post - harvest practices, markets etc. Institutional Strengthening of SMPBs and creating regional centres to optimize the strategic reach of the AYUSH systems.
• Promote mainstreaming of medicinal plants in climate change mitigation strategies & promote regeneration / afforestation of medicinal plant tree species towards carbon sequesterisation.
• Take steps to meet India's international obligations in the context of medicinal plant biodiversity and promote bilateral/international cooperation.

Strategy

The scheme is proposed to be implemented during 2021-22 to 2025-26 to facilitate conservation and post-harvest management of Medicinal Plants for long term sustainability by adopting the following strategy:- 

• Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas (MPCAs) by systematic survey, geo referencing of existing natural population of medicinal and native aromatic species having medicinal use.
• Enhance conservation through in-situ and ex-situ resource augmentation and artificial regeneration of local populations of medicinal and aromatic plant species.
• Expand area under medicinal and aromatic plants species of medicinal values linked with creation of nurseries to maintain good quality propagation material.  
• Promote R & D to address the technology gaps particularly with respect to quality, documentation, identification of substitutes for important medicinal plants including Rare Endangered & Threatened (RET) listed plants and species with high demand in trade and bio-activity guided phyto-chemical studies, etc.
• Improve production, post-harvest technologies, and certification mechanisms for quality standards, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Field Collection Practices (GFCP) and Good Storage Practices (GSP) value addition and marketing infrastructure.
• Stay abreast of International Developments impacting conservation, availability, trade, quality assurance of medicinal plants.
• Provide livelihoods and economic benefit to forest dwellers, cultivators, local healers and other stakeholders. 

Components of the Scheme

1.  Conservation of Medicinal Plants through multi-pronged strategy  
   • In-situ conservation  
     • Medicinal Plants Conservation and Development Areas (MPCDAs)  
     • In-situ resource augmentation 
   • Ex-situ Conservation  
   • Engaging Eco Task Force for rehabilitation of critical Medicinal Plant Habitats  
   • Support to Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) / Panchayats / Van Panchayats /Self Help Groups (SHGs) / Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) for setting of local cluster for value addition, drying, warehousing and augmenting marketing infrastructure, etc.
2. Research, Technology Development and Quality Assurance
   • Research & Development
   • Quality Assurance  
     • Promotion of Good Practices  
     • Raw Drug Repositories  
3. Awareness Building, Exposure Visits, Education and Capacity Building of Stakeholders through Information Education and Communication (IEC) strategy  
   • Participation in Exhibition / Fairs and Publicity Materials 
   • Aushadhi Vanaspati Mitra Program (AVMP)  
   • Organization of Workshops / Seminars / Conferences and participation in AROGYA Fairs  
   • Publication of Periodicals / Magazines and Newsletters
   • Setting up & Operation of Web Portal  
   • Training and Capacity Building  
4. Promotion of Herbal Gardens  
   • School Herbal Garden  
   • Institutional / Public Herbal Gardens / Ayush Van
   • Herbal Gardens of State and National Importance
5. Other Promotional Activities 
6. Other Interventions  
   • Bilateral / International cooperation and collaboration with International Agencies  
   • Marketing 
7. Medicinal Plant Species Specific Campaign including use of Multimedia  
8. Institutional Strengthening  
   • Strengthening of State Medicinal Plant Boards (SMPBs) 
   • Establishing Regional-cum-Facilitation Centres (RCFCs) of NMPB (within existing Government Institutions, Corporations, Centres of Excellence etc.) in different Geographic Zones.  

Forward and backward linkage in supply chain of medicinal plants (Integrated component) 

1. Infrastructure for Quality Planting Material  
   • Establishment of Seed Germ Plasm Centre
   • Establishment of nurseries for Supply of Quality Planting Material
     • Model nurseries
     • Small nurseries
     • Maintenance of existing medicinal plant nursery
2. Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities
   • Infrastructure for Post-Harvest Management and Marketing
     • Drying Yard
     • Storage Godown
     • Value Addition Infrastructure
     • Rural Collection Centre
3. Infrastructure for Post-Harvest Management and Marketing 
4. Quality Testing
5. Certification   

For more details of the scheme, click here.

Source : National Medicinal Plants Board