New Delhi [India], April 7 (ANI): A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) of Ministry of AYUSH and Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying on Wednesday for research on new formulations in quality drugs for veterinary science through medicinal herbs.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of AYUSH, the initiative involves capacity building in related areas through training, exploring marketing possibilities for herbal veterinary medicines on a sustainable basis and providing for services including cultivation, preservation and conservation of medicinal plants.

The MoU was signed by Chief Executive Officer of National Medicinal Plants Board Dr JLN Sastry and Sh Upamanyu Basu, the Joint Secretary of Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in presence of Secretary of Ministry of AYUSH Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary of Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Atul Chaturvedi and in other senior officers from both the departments.

The Ministry of AYUSH will support Department of Animal Husbandry for developing curriculum and courses for AYUSH herbal veterinary education programs, identifying potential medicinal plant species used in veterinary medicine and provide their standards, training and awareness program on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Field Collection Practices (GFCPs), development of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for manufacturing of AYUSH/herbal veterinary medicines, skill development and capacity building, facilitate and render financial assistance for plantations and nursery development for medicinal plants, facilitate standardizing norms for medicinal plants, assist establishing research and testing centers as per scope of the Scheme.

The Department of Animal Husbandry will support Ministry of AYUSH for its expert technical opinion for essentiality, desirability and feasibility with respect to Ayurvedic medicines.

The Department will create awareness with support of NDDB among dairy farmers and agro-farmers about utilization and importance of herbal veterinary medicine and cultivation of medicinal herbs, develop course curriculum for Ayurveda and its allied subjects in veterinary medicine, identify list of priority livestock and poultry diseases of economic importance with respect to research activity or application of veterinary Ayurveda and allied streams, support farmers for undertaking cultivation and conservation of medicinal plants and related activities, support identify opportunities for scientific and technological collaboration to research institute (Veterinary Colleges and ICAR research institutes). (ANI)