Rs.4000 crore package under Atma Nirbhar Bharat for promotion of Herbal Cultivation

Ministry of Ayush, Government of India had implemented Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Ayush Mission (NAM)to promote the cultivation of medicinal plants. Under „Medicinal Plants‟ component of the NAM Scheme, market driven cultivation of 140 prioritized medicinal plants in identified clusters/zones was supported and implemented in a mission mode through selected State Implementing agencies throughout the country including Andhra Pradesh. As per the scheme guidelines, the support was provided for:

1. Cultivation of prioritized medicinal plants on farmer‟s land.
2. Establishment of nurseries with backward linkages for raising and supply of quality planting material.
3. Post-harvest management with forwarding linkages.
4. Primary processing, marketing infrastructure etc.

To encourage the farmers for cultivation of Medicinal Plants, the Ministry of Ayush has provided subsidy @30%, 50% and 75% of cultivation cost of prioritized plant species throughout the country including Andhra Pradesh. The Ministry of Ayush has supported 4349 hectare area within a budget of Rs. 744.60 lakh in Andhra Pradesh under cultivation of Medicinal Plants through National AYUSH Mission (NAM) scheme from the Financial Year 2015-16 to 2020-21.

In addition to this, National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India is implementing a scheme entitled “Central Sector Scheme on Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants” wherein the following activities are supported:

1. Information Education and communication (IEC) activities like Training / Workshops / Seminars/ Conferences etc.
2. In-situ conservation / Ex-situ conservation.
3. Livelihood linkages with Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) / Panchayats / Van Panchayats / Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) / Self Help Groups (SHGs).

Promotional activities including establishment of nurseries, marketing and trade of medicinal plants produce.

National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of Ayush has supported 02 training programmes and 01 nursery project to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board. NMPB has also supported 01 awareness programmes for the stakeholders on conservation and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants resources to the Andhra Pradesh Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Board, Andhra Pradesh during the financial year 2015-16 to 2020-21.

National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of Ayush facilitates to create market linkage for medicinal plants raw materials and not the AYUSH products. NMPB has launched e-CHARAK mobile application as well as a 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. “e-CHARAK” application supports different local languages and it also provides a fortnightly market price of 100 Medicinal Plants from 25 herbal markets across India.

This information was given by Minister of Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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