The Hindu : Focus on trade options in herbal products

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Focus on trade options in herbal products

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 27. Speakers at the first international conference on livelihoods and trade options in medicinal plants and herbal products have called for establishment of a prioritised common agenda to make the sector work for the poor.

The two-day conference organised by Oxfam GB, the international humanitarian and development organisation working for overcoming poverty and suffering around the world, came to an end here today.

The conference focused on policy and market promotion issues in the sector so as to act as a means of providing employment through community enterprise in the area.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Advisor to the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, Manju Sharma, pointed out that according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) study, there were about 400 families of flowering medicinal plants in the world, of which at least 315 were in India. "We have some of the most important medicinal plants in India. We can capitalise on this natural inherent strength and capture large part of the growing trade, provided we remain price competitive and ensure quality of the produce and some standards,'' she said.

The conference debated on issues of trade barriers, market awareness, inequitable trade practices, opportunities and hurdles and suggested policy and operational frameworks.

More than 250 delegates from around the world, representing multilateral organisations, Government agencies and policy makers, several non-government organisations, commercial organisations from industry, research institutions, network organisations, and individuals attended the conference.

Addressing the gathering, the noted scientist M.S. Swaminathan, said the main issues involved could be represented as four Cs - Conversation, Consumption, Commercialisation, and Convergence. Pointing out that there was a need to have an economic stake in the conservation, he said: "Organic farming of medicinal plants should be promoted and health literacy movement should include ayurvedic, siddha and other Indian system of medicine in their ambit. Moreover, brand names need to be established for sustainable commercialisation.''

A buyer-seller meet and a product exhibition was also organised as part of the conference.

The country representative of Oxfam GB, Biranchi Upadhyaya, said: "We have got a lot of foreign buyers and representatives of international herbal companies as delegates for the conference and they shared their experiences and exploring the business opportunities. The major focus of the conference was to bridge the market information gaps and building a collaborative framework for organised attention to various aspects of this sector, with the aim to open frontiers for realisation of the dormant employment potential of the medicinal plants and herbal products sector.''

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