The herbal industry is poised for higher growth thanks to the new guidelines on phyto pharmaceuticals, said R. Gnanam, Director of CPMB&B, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

Addressing the two-day conference on ‘Leveraging Herbal Research for Bio-Entrepreneurship’, Gnanam said biotechnology-based development of herbal medicines and health benefitting compounds had a huge potential for industrialisation and economic growth.

The conference was organised to promote research and development on herbals as a potential bio-entrepreneurship opportunity among students and entrepreneurs.

More than 200 students and entrepreneurs, who attended the conference were given hands on training on basic laboratory techniques on herbal medicine production and business plan preparation guidance. According to a press release from TNAU, India is among one of among the top 12 biotech destinations in the world with over 800 companies and the industry growth is primarily driven by vaccines and recombinant drugs.

The conference was organised by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute (EDII), Government of Tamil Nadu and Centre for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (CPMB), TNAU.

P.M. Murali, President of Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises, Mohd Aslam, Adviser, DBT, New Delhi, Shakthi Vinay Shukla, Director, Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre, Kannauj, S. Mohankumar, Professor and Head (Biotechnology) were among those who were present.