. Although our country is considered to be the richest country in the world in terms of invaluable herbs and biodiversity, efforts to take the country on the path of economic development have not materialized due to lack of use of indigenous herbs.

Botanists, traders and those concerned with medicinal herbs said that the aspiration of economic prosperity of the country could be fulfilled by branding herbs that are exported as raw material. They said that a comprehensive Ayurveda hospital and a pharmaceutical industry could be operated in the country by properly utilizing the available resources.

Although innumerable plants and herbs with medicinal properties are found in different parts of the country, most of them are exported abroad at cheap prices. Medicines made from our herbs are being imported at a high price.

According to the Department of Botany, 819 species of herbs have been identified in the country. Of them, 33 species have been kept in priority for economic development. About 120 species are being cultivated and more than 200 species of aromatic oil can be produced.

Nepal’s share in the world market is very low—about 0. 006 percent. According to the Export Promotion Centre, herbals worth Rs 2.4 billion were exported in the last fiscal year. Medicinal herbs worth Rs 1.24 billion are exported annually.

Sanjeev Kumar Rai, director general of the department, said that the expected price addition could not be achieved as around 90 percent of the herbs exported are exported in raw form.

According to him, the herbal sector can be made a powerful means of economic growth through infrastructure strengthening, new technology, research and expansion of private-community cooperation. Herbs can be made a strong base for prosperity if medicines can be processed and produced in the country.

“A strong base for prosperity would be prepared if medicine could be processed in the country,” he said. He said that international competition could be increased if the study and research on herbs could be increased, chemical composition identification and patent could be obtained.

The Herbal Production and Processing Company Limited has been producing palmarosa, lemongrass, citronella, mentha, chamomile among other medicines. The company’s products ‘Sancho, Himalayan Massage Oil, Shilajit Paste’ are available in the market. The company laments that it has not been able to produce large quantities of medicines due to high cost.

The Federation of Community Forest Users Nepal (FECOFUN) has said that the production and transportation of medicinal herbs has been hampered due to legal complexities. Thakur Prasad Bhandari, president of FNCCI, viewed that the sector would make incomparable contribution to the economic development if grants, facilitation and market management were made.

Botanical expert Nabin Joshi said that the processing and branding of herbs can increase income. He believes that it will not be difficult to get high prices and returns if you can do so.

According to Joshi, Nepal’s Himalayan forests and grasslands are among the best biodiversity centres in the world. “These resources are vulnerable to over-exploitation, informal trade, uneven supply chains, and climate change, which is also impacting the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities,” he said. There is a huge opportunity to improve both the sustainability and trade of forest products by strengthening relationships with key markets. ”