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Stakeholders

Supply chain analysis of any commodities provides a powerful tool in design action that enhances the sustainable economic development of a system. Medicinal and aromatic plants are a fascinating global enterprise play an unique role in health care, culture, biodiversity and rural economics.  It is necessary that a sustainable medicinal plants chain be developed for creating livelihood opportunities for a section of society. Presently medicinal plants sector is emerging vigorously at national as well as international level. On the safety aspect of plants based drugs, the demand of herbal produce has increased tremendously in the past few years.  Majority of herbal raw material still is derived from forests and a very little demand is met through cultivation source.  Large scale extraction of the herbs from wild and decreasing forest areas have eventually raised many issues in this sector like conservation of the species which are in high demand, sustained availability of raw material of species in question and gap in the supply chain of the material. Realising the alarming situation and gravity of these issues, RCFC-North-1, Joginder Nagar is emphasising to take necessary steps in this direction.

The first step taken in this direction is to identify the different stakeholders of medicinal plants sector in the region. These are:

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 Forest department

Extraction of herbal crude drugs from wild is governed under sets of legislations where extraction permits are issued to the collectors/gatherers charging the prescribed fees as notified by the govt. time to time. In rotation the different areas are opened for collection of the specific species. Forest department does not allow any activity from outsiders including growing of medicinal plants but in HP under “Ban Samridhi-Jan Samridhi Yojna” the department has come with a programme to allow the cultivation activity in forest lands under the guidelines drawn for this purpose and executed by the concerned Forest Officer on the forest land identified by him. RCFC-North-1 has taken an initiative after the meeting with the concerned DFOs to assist the farmers in the tribal areas of Bharmour & Pangi to undertake the cultivation of high altitude medicinal plants under this programme.

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Growers/Farmers

As the forests can’t be a continuous and sustained source of the herbal raw material in future, it is necessary to promote the cultivation of medicinal plants. In this direction RCFC-North-1 has mobilised a large number of farmers by organising training programmes in this direction to undertake the cultivation of medicinal plants in the different places. ( Annx. I & II}.

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Traders

For the marketing of the herbal produce the role of traders is very important. The end user of the raw material is industry which requires the material in large quantity on sustained basis. Where the raw material is produced in large quantity the farmers sell the produce directly to the industry, but the marginal farmers and small gatherers of the herbs are forced to sell their material to the local traders on nominal prices. To facilitate the small collectors, gatherers and farmers to sell their produce on fair and reasonable prices at their door step, RCFC-North-1 has decided to create marketing network in the region of small herbal Mandis in the rural area and to buy their produce under MSP systems. The work in this direction is in progress to establish initially two herbal Mandis one at Bharmour and other at Jogindernagar. In the meantime UNNATI, Talwara, GOI funded HHRC, Amritasar and Patanjali Ayurved, Haridwar have been contacted to buy the raw materials from the traders promoted by RCFC-North-1 

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Trainings and Exposure visits

Medicinal plants have come into the light recently as a commercial activity to contribute to the national GPD and as an alternate to the Agricultural related activities. Being a new area for the stakeholders as stated above there is a need to educate and train them on the different aspects of medicinal plants. Although out of numerous medicinal plants grow in wild and around us, few medicinal plants are already known to the society and had been in use as health care remedies and many of these are used in our day to day household needs. In the light of the fact that medicinal plants sector has emerged in a big way, it is necessary to know this herbal wealth maximum for the logistic utility. In absence of incorrect identification of the mother plant may affect adversely. So there is a need to know and indentify the wide range of medicinal plants exist on this earth and to understand the useable parts as crude drugs and methodology of their harvesting, drying, storage, transportation, decontamination, processing and marketing. Crude drugs either come by collection from wild source or by cultivation. Pre and post harvesting of crude drugs in both the cases involves a special skill for which specific trainings are required from the experts and professionals working in the field to the stake holders of this sector. Training is most important tool for the success of any programme as it induces motivation, confidence and enhances efficiency. Understanding this fact RCFC-North-1, has given the top priority to organize different training programmes and exposure visit for the stakeholders in this sector time to time. 

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Collectors/Gatherers of NTFP:

A large section of population in rural and tribal belt of the state like Himachal depends upon collection of herbs to earn their livelihood. RCFC-North-1 has identified such groups/persons in rural areas of Chamba, Kullu, Rohru (Shimla), Bilaspur, Kangra, Hamirpur, Una & other areas of HP and has interacted personally with them and are being educated to adopt GFPCP time to time.

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Research Institutes & Universities

Since the cultivation of medicinal plants is a new activity to the farmers, hence they require standard Agro techniques to be adopted for undertaking the cultivation of particular species of medicinal plants and also Quality Planting Material (QPM). In this direction RCFC-North-1 has made arrangement to tie up with the Universities and research institutions. UHF Campus at Neri in Hamirpur has been identified as an authentic source of QPM for supplying the improved variety of Harad (Terminalia  chebula) developed by the institution which starts to bear fruiting in two years of plantation.  Similarly IHB, Palampur has been tied up for the Agro-techniques and QPM of the species like Maidendhair (Ginkgo  biloba), Shati (Hedychium  spicatum), Sugandhbala (Valeriana  jatamansi); for Turmeric (Curcuma  longa) Col. (rtd.) P.C.Rana;  for Chandan (Santalum  album) Herbal Garden, Neri; for Lemon grass (Cymbopogon  flexeosus) CIMAP & CAP; 

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AYUSH

Department of Ayurveda issues the necessary licences to the industry for the manufacturing of Ayurvedic drugs time to time. A large number of such units are functioning in the states. The department asked these manufacturing units to furnish their demand of herbal raw material to RCFC-North-1 and further to tie up to buy the raw material from these Mandis.

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Traditional healers

Traditional healers who are providing the health care services by practicing the folklore medicines mainly based on herbal origin. Impact of these local healers in the rural and tribal society of the state is very strong and deep.  Their existence in this modern era is itself an evidence of the efficacy of their herbal preparations.  But for the wide acceptance in the modern society it is necessary that these formulations be evaluated on the set parameters prescribed by the health department/AYUSH.. RCFC-North is planning to indentify such healers and to provide financial support of some of the selected among these for scientific validation.

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