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IIACT starts medicinal plants & herbal cultivation in 50 acres of agri land to solve raw material crisis in Kerala
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Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
February 25 , 2019
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With an aim to produce uninterrupted supply of genuine raw materials to
the manufacturers of ayurvedic products in Kerala, an ayurvedic
formulation company located in the Malabar area (north Kerala) of the
state has started medicinal plants and herbal cultivation in an area of
50 acres of agriculture field in Kannur district.
In the second
and third phases, cultivation will be expanded to 100 acres of land to
produce raw materials required for preparation of all routine medicines.
The
project undertaken by the company is funded and technologically
supported by the national and state medicinal plant boards. The raw
drugs the company currently harvests from the field are used for
preparing 60 routine drugs which are always in demand in the market. In
the second phase, the cultivation will be expanded to another 50 acres
of agriculture land in the neighboring district of Kasargodu, says Dr.
Itoozhi Unnikrishnan Namboothiri, director of Itoozhi Illam Ayurveda
Charitable Trust (IIACT).
In an interview with Pharmbiz, he said
his charitable trust has formed a society of medicinal plants
cultivators in north Kerala, and started the project under the label,
‘Mayyil Farming School’. The selected cultivators were given training in
medicinal plants farming and in conservation by experts from Kerala
state medicinal plant board. He said this venture is the first project
of medicinal and herbal farming in north Kerala.
Additionally,
the trust encourages farmers and local women groups in Mayyil and nearby
villages to cultivate medicinal plants in their own lands or fields
provided they are interested for the sustainable management of medicinal
plants cultivation. The Itoozhi trust has got inspiration for herbal
cultivation from some farming societies working in Thrissur district,
said Itoozhi Namboothiri.
“We conducted a study trip in areas
where medicinal plants are cultivated. Taking inspiration from various
farming societies, we decided to start such a cultivation project in
Malabar area where plenty of Ayurveda manufacturing units are operating.
They purchase raw materials from other states. Along with drug
production, we plan to concentrate on production of raw materials also.
There is allegation that the raw materials imported to Kerala from other
states are poor in quality which will in turn affect the business of
the industry. In next three years, Kerala will be self sufficient in the
production of raw materials for Ayurveda medicines”, he said.
A
very sophisticated testing laboratory has been set up at Mayyil where
the quality test of the raw drugs is carried out. According to Itoozhi
Namboothiri, in Kerala there is no exclusive testing lab for testing raw
materials of Indian medicines. But Itoozhi trust’s laboratory is
functioning for testing of ASU drugs only.
Bhoodan Trust working
in Payyannur has agreed to part 50 acres of their land with the Itoozhi
Ayurveda Trust for growing medicinal plants and herbs, and for that both
the institutions have come to an agreement, subsequently signed an MoU.
Kannur Kudumbashree Mission also gives support to this project which
will be Itoozhi’s third phase of raw drug cultivation.
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