Supply of Medicinal Raw Materials

Abstract

The growth of the manufacturing sector in Ayurveda seems to be slowing down in the Indian state of Kerala as the prices of raw materials have increased inordinately, challenging the sustainability of ayurvedic drug production. Several reasons are responsible; in particular, the dwindling availability of plants, the excessive complexity of supply chains, the growing distances between plant sources and manufacturing units, and the control over the medicinal plant market by powerful middlemen. Substitution, adulteration, and quality control have become sensitive issues and may eventually damage the reputation of the ayurvedic drug sector in a context of high competition between manufacturers. Cultivating medicinal plants is considered to be the main solution for solving the supply crisis, but manufacturers’ demands are often too constraining for cultivators and this may not be such a viable alternative in a context of continuous modernisation efforts for production efficiency.