Dr Arun Chandan
A. Ecological and Agronomic Challenges
- Habitat Destruction During Harvest
- Most high-altitude medicinal plants provide underground parts (roots, rhizomes, tubers), harvesting of which kills the mother plant, threatening regeneration and survival in the wild.
- Slow Growth and Long Gestation Period
- Many temperate species require 3–5 years to mature, making them less economically viable than short-duration crops.
- Unsuitable Land Topography
- Cultivable land is scarce and scattered across slopes, forests, and small patches, unlike flat fields. This limits scalability.
- Moisture and Disease Risk
- High-altitude regions have prolonged wet seasons; underground parts are prone to rot and decay without suitable cultivation practices.
- Lack of Agro-Techniques Suited to Himalayan Terrain
- Available cultivation models are designed for plains; high-altitude-specific agronomic packages are underdeveloped or absent.
- Insufficient Quality Planting Material (QPM)
- Lack of disease-free, phytochemically validated planting material; poor access to mass-produced certified germplasm.
B. Institutional and Infrastructural Gaps
- Inadequate Post-Harvest Infrastructure
- Absence of drying sheds, storage facilities, or primary processing centres in remote areas causes microbial spoilage and loss of efficacy.
- Poor Road Connectivity and Fragile Ecosystem
- Transport delays due to landslides and road blockages increase post-harvest losses, especially during monsoon harvesting.
- Lack of Herbal Mandis
- The absence of organised herbal markets forces collectors to depend on middlemen; only a few states, like Himachal Pradesh, have declared medicinal plants as agricultural produce.
- No Minimum Support Price (MSP) Mechanism
- Unpredictable pricing discourages farmers, lack of assured market linkage and price security.
C. Policy and Legal Barriers
- Forest Land Access Restrictions
- Most medicinal plant-rich zones are under Forest Department control, with limited provisions for cultivation or sustainable harvest by communities.
- Complex Regulations and Poor Awareness
- Farmers and traders lack clarity on rules under CITES, the Biodiversity Act, and Forest Laws; non-compliance can lead to legal issues.
- Neglect of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)
- Pharmaceutical companies often bypass Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs), depriving local communities of their legal share.
- Industry Reluctance Towards Biodiversity Compliance
- Many industries are unwilling to engage in ABS and PBR documentation due to additional legal and financial obligations.
D. R&D and Capacity Building Issues
- Fragmented R&D and Poor Coordination
- Agro-techniques are scattered across institutions (CSIR, CIMAP, State Universities) with minimal standardisation or adaptation to regional needs.
- Lack of Practical, Localised Training
- Farmer training is irregular and lacks hands-on demonstration suited to high-altitude settings.
- Low Awareness of Phytochemical Standards
- Farmers are unaware of the need for secondary metabolite content; no institutional support for field-level testing.
E. Socio-Economic Challenges
- High Cost of Cultivation
- Labour-intensive post-harvest work (washing, drying, packaging) and long crop cycles reduce profitability.
- Low Farmer Confidence
- Risk of crop failure, lack of buy-back arrangements, and market volatility discourage farmers from adopting MAPs.
- Dependency on Wild Collection
- Despite efforts, over 80% of the raw drug supply still comes from wild sources, putting biodiversity at risk.
F. Governance and Strategic Gaps
- Lack of Inter-Departmental Convergence
- Agriculture, Horticulture, AYUSH, Forest, and Biodiversity departments often work in silos without integrated planning.
- Weak Monitoring and Certification Systems
- No robust framework for certifying QPM nurseries or standardising raw material for trade/export.
- Underdeveloped Export Readiness
- Despite global demand, Himalayan herbs face barriers due to lack of documentation, traceability, and phytosanitary standards.