India's Ayush, herbal export grows from Rs.617-cr in 2005-06 to Rs.1335-cr in 2009-10

The Indian Ayush (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) and herbal industry has grown by leaps and bounds during the last few years with the export of these products taking a jump from Rs.617.87 crore in 2005-06 to Rs.1335.01 crore in the year 2009-10. 

According to experts in the field, one of the major reasons for this export growth is the fact that several countries in the world have started looking towards the Indian traditional products for treating various ailments and chronic diseases. They have identified the importance of natural healing with Ayush products on par with the allopathic medicines. According to data available with the DGCIS and Pharmexcil, there has been a significant growth of Ayush and herbal products exports over the past few years. The exports of Ayush products alone have increased to Rs.764.25 crore in the year 2009-10 from Rs.311.57 crore in 2005-06. Dr P V Appaji, executive director, Pharmexcil said, “In just two years, the demand for herbal products from India has increased from Rs.375.60 crore in 2006-07 toRs.594.87 crore in 2008-09. For the next year 2009-10 the demand has slightly slipped due to recession and earned only Rs.570.76 crore which is a decrease of Rs.24.11 crore from the previous year.” Some of the significant herbal and Ayush products according to 2009-10 lists of India’s 30 top exports include medicaments of ayurvedic systems, psyllium husk (isobgul husk), saps and extracts, senna leaves and pads, other plants and parts of plants used in pharmacy, insecticdl/fungicdl purpose. medicants of homoeopathic systems, Lacts and lacts syrup containing 99 per cent or more lacts, Vinca rosea (herbs), Zedovary roots, Cascara sagrada bark, kuth root, sarsaparilla, Tukmaria and Medicants of bio-chemic systems are some of the important exports ayurvedic and homoeopathic items from the country. Among the top 10 destinations of India’s herbal products, USA leads the list. USA has imported herbal products worth Rs.202 crore every year since 2007-08. Pakistan, Japan, Germany, Ireland, UK, Australia, Bangladesh, Viet Nam and Malaysia are the other important importers of herbal products from India with an aggregate income of Rs.367.06 crore for the nation. According to a report from Pharmexcil for the year 2009, Canada tops list of top 10 exporters of medicinal herbs with a gain of US$ 224.73 million. China holds the second place with US$ 193.33 millions and India in the third place with exports gains of US$ 105.91 million. Significant point to be noted is that china is slowly loosing its export ground and has decreased its exports from US$ 344.12 millions in 2005 to US$ 193.33 million in the year 2009, while India and Canada are steadily increasing their export gains from just US$ 38.87 million and US$ 32.65 million in 2005 to US$ 105.91 million and US$ 224.73 million respectively.

Dispur thrust for AYUSH

WASIM RAHMAN

Herbal healing Jorhat, Aug. 19: The Assam government has given a special thrust to popularise alternative medicine and treatment and pushed for prescribing AYUSH (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy) medicines in government hospitals. In a directive to all the district joint directors of health services recently, the mission director of the state unit of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), J.B. Ekka, asked them to ensure that AYUSH medicines were prescribed by doctors. Allopathic and AYUSH drugs supplied under the mission are supplied free of cost to patients in government hospitals, dispensaries and public health centres. The letter said mainstreaming of AYUSH was one of the main components of the rural health mission. The national mission had appointed 267 ayurvedic and 50 homoeopathic doctors recently, apart from the doctors recruited by the state government, to provide medical services under AYUSH. While reviewing the utilisation of AYUSH drugs across the state, it was found that the patients were not being prescribed such medicines. The directive said AYUSH doctors from different parts of the state had earlier complained that they had not been able to practice what they had studied because of the non-availability of medicines where they were posted. However, since 2009-2010, AYUSH medicines and required medical kits were supplied to hospitals, dispensaries and PHCs where the doctors were posted. The mission director asked the joint directors of health services in the districts to take up the matter with the doctors. The letter said if AYUSH drugs were not prescribed, the mission might stop supplying the medicines in future. Following the NRHM directive, the state programme officer for AYUSH, who is also the deputy director of health services, H.H. Islam, last month had asked the districts to furnish details of utilisation and current stock position of ayurvedic and homoeopathic drugs. Islam also asked for information on the requirement of the drugs. Joint director health services (Jorhat), Mintu Gogoi, said following the directive, he had reviewed the matter with the doctors posted in the hospitals, dispensaries and PHCs. Gogoi said there was sufficient stock of AYUSH medicines in the district. The NRHM move comes after the state government issued a notification regarding the setting up of a separate directorate for AYUSH under the health department earlier this year. The directorate was being set up to accord special attention to medical education, planning, training and research for the branches of medicine falling under AYUSH. All the three government homoeopathy colleges and hospitals and the only government ayurveda college in the state will come under the administrative control of the new directorate. The homeopathy colleges and hospitals are in Jorhat, Nagaon and Guwahati, while the ayurvedic one is in Guwahati. There will be a separate wing of AYUSH in all the civil hospitals of the districts and subdivisions, upto the sub-centre level. The directorate will promote indigenous, traditional and community medicine research in the state and co-ordinate with various councils of alternative medicines under the AYUSH sector