Government Forms Task Force to Boost Vaidya Khana Medicine Output
A government-appointed task force led by Dr. Pradeep KC will draft a three-month action plan to resolve raw material shortages and ramp up medicine production at Singha Durbar Vaidya Khana.
The government has decided to form an expert task force to create an actionable three-month plan aimed at expanding Ayurvedic medicine production at the state-run Singha Durbar Vaidya Khana Vikas Samiti, national media reported on Thursday. The decision came during an inter-agency consultative meeting convened at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to address chronic shortages of raw herbal materials, processing bottlenecks, and regulatory hurdles.
According to The Rising Nepal, the panel will be led by Dr. Pradeep KC, executive director of the Vaidya Khana Vikas Samiti. The committee has been directed to draft a comprehensive framework within three months covering the sustainable collection, preservation, and industrial processing of medicinal herbs native to Nepal.
Chairing the meeting, Dr. Jagdish Prasad Agrawal, health advisor to Prime Minister Balendra Shah, stressed that the state entity must maximize the utilization of domestic medicinal flora to broaden its manufacturing portfolio, Kathmandupati reported. Dr. Agrawal instructed relevant bodies to enhance inter-ministerial coordination and prepare the ancient manufacturer not only to meet domestic demand but also to target international export markets in the future.
Government officials acknowledged that fragmented policies and regulatory constraints have severely restricted the collection of raw herbs. Onlinekhabar reported that Narayan Prasad Sharma Duwadi, secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, underscored the urgency of enacting clear legal provisions from cultivation to processing. Home Ministry Secretary Kedar Nath Sharma assured administrative assistance in facilitating the movement of raw herbs, while Madan Bhujel, secretary at the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration, noted that inter-agency friction and legal ambiguity remain substantial impediments.
To boost supply, Agriculture, Forests and Environment Ministry Secretary Dr. Rajendra Prasad Mishra recommended partnering with rural growers through commercial truck farming and deepening collaboration with state and private processing enterprises, as reported by Nagarik News. Meanwhile, Herbs Production and Processing Company Limited Acting General Manager Usha Rijal (Joshi) pointed out that inconsistent access to raw materials remains the primary constraint facing herbal pharmaceutical manufacturing, suggesting that establishing official minimum support prices for herbs would incentivize sustainable harvesting.
Legal reforms also featured prominently in the discussions. Thakur Bhandari, president of the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal, observed that current forestry regulations are excessively rigid, preventing communities from even gathering sal leaves for traditional plate-making. Additionally, Director General of the Department of Plant Resources Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Rai urged targeted revisions to the Public Procurement Act to streamline herb acquisition for state manufacturers.