Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of Ayush, and the University of Delhi, through Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences (BCAS), recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen research and innovation in medicinal plants. The MoU was signed in the presence of Prataprao Jadhav, State Minister of Ayush, Health and Family Welfare.
The collaboration aims to establish a long-term partnership for scientific research, product development, innovation, value addition, post-harvest technologies, sustainable packaging, technology transfer and capacity building, while promoting sustainable utilisation and conservation of India’s rich medicinal plant resources.
Describing the MoU as a landmark step, Jadhav said it would strengthen scientific research, promote innovation and unlock the vast potential of India’s medicinal plant wealth through the integration of traditional knowledge with modern science.
The Minister observed that India possesses one of the world’s richest repositories of medicinal plants and a centuries-old tradition of herbal healthcare. He emphasised that evidence-based research, innovation and value addition are essential to enhance the global credibility, competitiveness and market potential of India’s medicinal plants sector.
Highlighting the broader impact of the partnership, he said it would create new opportunities for young researchers, scientists and entrepreneurs, encourage innovation-led enterprises, generate livelihoods and contribute to the growth of India’s bio economy. He expressed confidence that the collaboration would lead to the development of value-added products, sustainable technologies and farmer-centric solutions benefiting both industry and farming communities.
The collaboration aims to establish a long-term partnership for scientific research, product development, innovation, value addition, post-harvest technologies, sustainable packaging, technology transfer and capacity building, while promoting sustainable utilisation and conservation of India’s rich medicinal plant resources.
Speaking on the occasion, Mahesh Dadhich, Chief Executive Officer, NMPB, emphasised the importance of research-driven innovation in enhancing farmers’ income through medicinal plant cultivation. He highlighted the potential of developing eco-friendly and health-safe packaging materials derived from medicinal plant resources as sustainable alternatives to conventional aluminium-based packaging and other environmentally harmful materials.
He further noted that cultivating medicinal plants in suitable ecological zones, including riverine areas, can simultaneously promote biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration and sustainable livelihood generation for farming communities.
The collaboration will leverage BCAS’s expertise in food technology, nutraceuticals, post-harvest processing and sustainable packaging. The institution’s recent innovations, including patented technologies for value addition of biological resources, are expected to provide further impetus to translational research, technology commercialisation and entrepreneurship in the medicinal plants sector. The MoU is expected to strengthen industry-academia collaboration, accelerate technology transfer and enhance public awareness regarding the health, economic and environmental significance of medicinal plants.
