Herbal medicine policy on the cards

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FE Report
The government has asked Ayurvedic Unanni medicine industry leaders to prepare a herbal medicine policy in the light of existing policies in the world to help the growth of the sector which has local as well as international demands.
Commerce Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan made the suggestion when a delegation of Ayurvedic Unanni Medicine Industry Association discussed about the sector's problems and urged for the government's intervention in resolving those during a meeting on Monday.
Ayurvedic Unanni Medicine Industry Association said Unanni and Ayurvedic medicines worth Tk 3.0 billion are produced yearly with a rate of 13 per cent in the country. Around 20 per cent of the population receives Unanni, Ayurvedic and Homeopathy treatment in the country.
They said the country has the potential to exploit a part of the US$ 80-billion global herbal medicine market with 4.0 billion people relying on the natural medicine.
The association members informed the minister about various problems plaguing the sector. The expected growth is also being hampered due to lack of modern technology to produce herbal materials, standard regulation for quality control and reluctant administration. They also pointed out the problems like uneven competition with so-called herbal medicines being imported in the name of food supplement, lack of financial support from the formal sector and conservation of land for raw material production.
The delegation led by its President Dr Selim Mohammad Shahjahan also demanded a separate directorate for Ayurvedic, Unanni, Herbal and homeopathy on which 20 per cent of the population are dependent for their treatment and urged the government to remove legal obstructions for the development of the sector.
The Commerce Minister said the government is ready to assist the herbal medicine sector and urged the delegation leaders to export the herbal medicines after meeting local demand.
He admitted that the demand for 20 per cent cash incentive against export is legitimate on the ground that the raw materials are basically agricultural products and assured of government assistance to provide necessary cooperation for the development of Ayurvedic medicine industry.