will not only contribute to rural industrial development and poverty alleviation but also to
biodiversity and forest conservation.
Requirement for plant based industries
Major requirements for establishing medicinal and aromatic plant based industries in
developing countries are the following (Silva, 1997):
- Availability of natural forest resources capable of being sustainably harvested.
- Initiation of systematic cultivation programmes
- Selection of plants for processing based on facilities available and marketability
- Fabrication or procurement of equipment, provision of required services (water, energy,
chemical) - Transfer of expertise on agronomical practices, harvesting and post-harvest treatment.
- Training in methods of processing and quality control
- Actual processing with assistance from experts and NGO’s and international agencies
- Packaging and storage of finished products
- Marketing outlets
In some cases the primary processed product could be used as a raw material for
downstream processing such as production of medicinal principles, aroma chemicals,
isolates, flavours, perfumes, extraction of pure chemicals and other consumer products. The
following aspects have to be taken into consideration in designing country specific
programmes for implementation. - Suitability of climate and soil conditions
- Availability of raw materials
- Economic benefit, if any from export as well as import substitution
- Factors that hinder systematic cultivation and industrial production.
- Appropriate technologies that could be absorbed
- Prospects for regional, inter regional and global co-operation
- Inter agency co-operation and collaboration
- Other issues such as conservation, energy, employment generation and involvement of
women.