Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2016-11-22

Implementation of a Herbal Cultivation Project for the Production of High Standard Ayurveda Medicinal Raw Materials

- According to data from the Department of Ayurveda, 60% of the annual raw materials used for local and Ayurvedic medicines are met out of importations. As a remedial measure, the Budget of 2016 proposed to commence a short term herbal plant cultivation to meet the demand for medicinal raw materials. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. (Dr.) Rajitha Senaratne, the Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine to initiate a farmer participatory herbal plant cultivation project for the production of high standard medicinal raw materials centered around the districts of Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Moneragala and Galle and for the marketing network of the Sri Lanka Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation to purchase the medicinal raw materials produced in the project, was approved by the Cabinet.