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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, July 26

THE Union Minister for Health, Mr Shatrughan Sinha, has said that nature's bounty had provided India with a headstart in the herbal products sweepstakes and the country should seek to effectively tap the huge potential the global market, which is expected to gross Rs 2.5 lakh crore by 2010.

Delivering his inaugural address here at the curtain-raiser function for the World Ayurveda Congress 2002 scheduled to open at Kochi in November this year, Mr Sinha said India was blessed with 16 agro-climatic zones, 45,000 different plant species and 15,000 medicinal plants that included 7,000 plants sourced by ayurveda, 700 by unani medicine, 600 by sidha, 450 by homoeopathy and 30 by modern medicine.

"This is a huge resource base and make India among the 12 mega biodiversities of the world. Despite accounting for only 2.5 per cent of the total land area, the country housed over eight per cent of the recorded species. The Indian systems of medicine have identified 1,500 medicinal plants of which 500 are commonly used, and more than 150 species have been categorised as endangered," Mr Sinha said.

WHO's forecast is that the global market for herbal products would be of the order of $5 trillion by year 2050. Herbal remedies would become increasingly relevant as people seek to avail natural remedies.

Ninety per cent of the supply bases of herbal drugs used in the Indian systems of medicine are from the wild. Also, various industries are tapping this resource base for making herbal products. With the result that this invaluable resource base is shrinking day by day. There is therefore a need for the optimum utilisation of these resources for sustained growth of the industry.

While extending full support and patronage of his Ministry to the Congress, Mr Sinha said he had already requested the Ministries of Tourism, Agriculture, External Affairs, Commerce and Industry for cooperation for the event and its smooth conduct. "Its objective is laudable in that it seeks to place Ayurveda on a high pedestal fetching due recognition in the medical world. As of now, Ayurveda is seen as an alternative or complimentary medicine but its real position should be that of a prime medicine," Mr Sinha said.

In his speech the Kerala Minister for Health, Mr P. Sankaran, said it is time Ayurveda was treated as a national system of medicine in the country of its origin. He also requested the Union Minister for a grant of Rs 15 crore for improving the infrastructure facilities at the 787 Ayurveda dispensaries across the State.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Malati Sinha, Secretary, Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H), said Ayurveda should be showcased as an Indian "brand'' just as yoga, kathak or kathakali have been sought to be promoted.

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