Experts across the Ministry of Ayush institutions including National Medicinal
Plant Board (NMPB) has called for Artificial intelligence (AI) and related
technologies to monitor, verify, and document the quality and journey of
medicinal plants right from the farm (the ‘farm-gate’) through the entire
supply chain, in a two-day National Seminar on “Design and Development of
Tools for Quality Assessment of Medicinal Plants at Farm Gates”. The
seminar held recently in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi,
brought national focus to India’s medicinal plant sector—assured quality,
traceability, and standardisation of raw materials at the point of origin.
It called on policymakers, scientists, technologists,
industry leaders, and researchers to deliberate on strengthening farm-gate
quality systems as a foundation for the sustainable growth and global
competitiveness of India’s Ayush and medicinal plant ecosystem.
The seminar was inaugurated with keynote addresses by Prof.
Dr. Mahesh Kumar Dadhich, Chief Executive Officer, NMPB, and Prof. Dr. Tanuja
Nesari, Director, Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA). Their
addresses set the national policy and scientific context for quality-driven
growth, emphasising the need to integrate innovation, regulation, and
traditional knowledge to build global confidence in Indian medicinal plant raw
materials.
The technical sessions examined the entire medicinal plant
value chain—from sustainable cultivation and regenerative agriculture to
AI-enabled quality assessment, digital traceability, and supply-chain
integration. Experts from ICAR–Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
Research (DMAPR), IIT Delhi, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry
of Ayush, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Himalaya
Wellness, and Herbalscape Crops shared evidence-based insights and field experiences.
The discussions highlighted that India is both technically
and institutionally prepared to adopt AI-based diagnostics, digital
phenotyping, and integrated quality frameworks, reinforcing the credibility of
Indian medicinal plant raw materials in domestic as well as international
markets.
Day two was dedicated to roadmap building through two
structured expert brainstorming sessions on Integration of Artificial
Intelligence in the Indian Medicinal Plant Industry, and
use of Blockchain Technology for Supply-Chain Transparency and Traceability.
Participants unanimously underscored that quality must be
built at the point of origin, directly supporting NMPB’s mandate to empower
primary producers and collectors. The deliberations validated the practical
deployment of AI and digital tools to reduce adulteration, variability, and
farmer losses, while also establishing the critical role of blockchain-enabled
end-to-end traceability for exports and pharmacopoeial compliance.
The seminar also highlighted the integration of traditional
knowledge systems such as Vriksha Ayurveda with modern quality-control
frameworks, demonstrating how India’s heritage can be scientifically validated
and digitised to strengthen global acceptance. Strong emphasis was placed on
capacity building as well.
