International meet on medicinal plants
Manipur on global map, attracts International eyes
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 11 2008: Aiming to tap the rich potential of medicinal plants through enhanced co-operation, a three-day long International conclave on medicinal plants for ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries has started from today at the Jubilee Hall of RIMS here.

Besides delegates from member countries of ASEAN and BIMSTEC like Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, representatives of International organisations like FAO and TRAFFIC are also participating in the conclave which would go on till December 13 .

Minister of Forest and Environment Th Debendra Singh inaugurated the conclave as chief guest in the presence of former Secretary of Department of AYSUH, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Anita Das who presided over the function.

Inaugural lamp of the conclave being lit

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Government of Manipur S Singsit and Chief Executive Officer of National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) BS Sajwan also graced the occasion as guests of honour.

The conclave is being organised by the Department of Forest, Government of Manipur in collaboration with the Department of AYUSH under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and World Health Organisation (WHO).

Delivering the key note address, Singsit stated that according to an estimate of WHO in 2002, the global market of traditional therapies stands at $ 60,000 millions and is growing steadily due to resurgence of traditional medicine across the globe.

These traditional system of medicines are heavily dependent on the medicinal plants for their drugs and therapies.

So with the accelerated growth of traditional medicine, the demand for medical plants is bound to grow substantially, he observed.

He further said that the ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries collectively have diverse and almost all kinds of forest types which are repository of immensely valuable and large varieties of medicinal plants.

The 3-day conclave would help in paving a long way towards providing a road map for enhancing co-operation and boost this sector and trade among the member countries, he hoped.

In her presidential address, Anita Das said that the region of ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries is one of the most important regions of bio-diversity and it is included in the six hotspots of the world.

Maintaining that medicinal plants can provide socially beneficial, environmentally benign and economically viable system of livelihood to the people of the region, she, nonetheless, pointed out that although the people of the member countries of ASEAN and BIMSTEC have vast knowledge on natural healing , insufficient attention is being paid to the quality assurance and control of herbal medicines.

So adequate measures should be taken to make the medicinal plants safe in respect of microbial load, residues and contaminants.

Speaking as chief guest of the function, Th Debendra noted that the World Health Organization has published a comprehensive guidelines on good agricultural practices for medicinal plants and these guidelines are particularly important for those medicinal plants which are being destructively harvested.

Plant materials are being used across the globe as home remedies over the counter drug products and as raw material for the pharmaceutical companies, thus representing a substantial proportion of the global drug market, the Minister said.

The WHO has emphasised the need to ensure the quality of medicinal plant products by using modern techniques and applying suitable standards, he added.

He also requested the Chief Executive Officer of National Medical Plants Board (NMPB) to help in co-ordinating all aspects of medicinal plants and the Department of AYUSH to establish one cluster of AYUSH industries at Imphal as the capital city of the State can easily procure the raw materials from the whole of the State as well as from the entire NE States and the products may be easily exported to ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries.

He hoped that the outcome of the conclave would help in formulation of specific programme for development of a medicinal plantsbased livelihood system.