Workshop recommends augmentation of medicinal plants
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 17 2015:
The two day National workshop on "Sustainable Development of Medicinal Plants Sector in North Eastern India" organised by the Forest Department, Government of Manipur in collaboration with the National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India came to an end with the valedictory session today evening at Jubilee Hall, RIMS, Lamphelpat.
The workshop was participated by 307 delegates from various parts of the country.
Nilanjan Sanyal, Secretary to Government of India; Ministry of AYUSH, PC Lawmkunga, Chief Secretary to Government of Manipur; Dr Muhammed Majeed, Managing Director of Sami labs, Bangalore; Dr Amit Agarwal, CEO of Natural Remedies; Dr Nimish Shroff, CEO of Charak Pharma; Dr RC Uniyal of Emami Groups; Dr S Narayan Badri of Dabur India Ltd; Dr N Padmakumar of National Medicinal Plants Board, New Delhi; S Jitendra Kumar, Director of Indian Council for Agricultural Research, Gujarat; Dr B Andrews, scientist, National Biodiversity Authority, Chennai; Member Secretaries of State Medicinal Plants Board of North Eastern States, professors, lecturers, scientists and research scholars of various institutes of North Eastern India, delegates of Forest Department, Manipur were among the delegates who participated in the workshop.
The valedictory session today was attended by Gaikhangam, Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Manipur; Nikhilesh Jha, Addl Chief Secretary (Forest & Envt), Government of Manipur and Shekhar Dutt, former Governor of Chattisgarh as the chief guest, president and guest of honour respectively.
The workshop had four technical sessions involving series of presentations on themes like overview of medicinal plants sector in North Eastern States; global and National scenario of medicinal plants; potential and prospects of medicinal plants in North East and expectations of stake holders; access, benefit sharing and policy framework on protection of traditional knowledge associated with medicinal plants.
The workshop helped to draw up valid recommendations for improvement of industries, entrepreneurs, farmers, collectors, traditional healers etc.
Amongst others, the recommendation included collection, resource augmentation and cultivation of medicinal plants for processing and marketing of the medicinal plants; strategic framework for access and benefit sharing of traditional knowledge; conservation strategy for the medicinal plants areas in North Eastern India and agro-forestry models based on medicinal plants for shifting cultivation areas for sustainable livelihood systems.
The workshop was held in Imphal with the purpose of drawing up a road map for reviving the medicinal plants sector in the region, according to the organisers.
Manipur is the gateway to the South East Asian countries by virtue of the border it shares with Myanmar.
If the medicinal plants sector is given due importance, it has the potential to transform the entire North Eastern region economically and socially.
The collectors will have a sustainable livelihood system; the industrialists will have viable processing units and marketing centres, the organisers said.
The recommendations brought out through the workshop will be made practical by the Forest Departments of all North Eastern States and that they will closely co-ordinate and co-operate with all the agencies which were involved in the workshop like the entrepreneurs, scientists, research scholars, local collectors and maiba-maibis.
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