The National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPS) and the National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI) have signed an agreement to boost cultivation and production of medicinal plants and herbs in India.
The AYUSH ministry issued a statement on Saturday, saying the MoU will facilitate the development of Quality Planting Material (QPM) of medicinal plants and herbs identified by the NMPB, help in establishment of their nurseries for QPM, development, promotion, conservation and cultivation of the appropriate medicinal plants in different agro-climatic zones, including the threatened medicinal plant species and plants for the high-altitude regions.
"Through this collaboration, NMPB will support CSIR-NBRI in carrying out the potential medicinal plant species with high commercial value for the Germplasm collection/conservation and establishment of nursery and seed banks/gene banks," the statement said.
The NBRI, while undertaking the survey of medicinal plants, will work in coherence with the NMPB in the desired direction, it said, adding that the outreaches of the NMPB and its implementing agencies like the state medicinal plants boards (SMPBs) and the regional-cum-facilitation centres will work together under the ambit of this MoU.
Working under the Ministry of AYUSH, the NMPB is mandated to coordinate all matters relating to medicinal plants, and support policies and programmes for growth of trade, export, conservation and cultivation of medicinal plants, the statement added.