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Ministry of Ayush | National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) | ICAR-DMAPR
The Ministry of Ayush, in collaboration with IIT Delhi, hosted a national seminar on January 8–9, 2026, focused on “Advancing Farm-Gate Quality Assessment of Medicinal Plants”. Experts emphasized the critical need for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain technology to monitor and verify the quality of medicinal plants directly at the “farm-gate”—the point of origin—to strengthen India’s global Ayush ecosystem.
The initiative aims to create a digital roadmap through:
AI-Enabled Diagnostics: Using AI for quality assessment, digital phenotyping, and decision-support systems to reduce adulteration and variability in raw materials.
Blockchain Traceability: Implementing blockchain for end-to-end transparency, ensuring that the journey of medicinal plants is documented for pharmacopoeial compliance and international exports.
Integrated Quality Frameworks: Merging modern tools like portable testing devices with traditional knowledge systems such as Vriksha Ayurveda to validate India’s heritage scientifically.
Empowering Primary Producers: Building quality at the source directly supports NMPB’s mandate to reduce farmer losses and empower primary collectors, aligning with the national goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
What is ‘Farm-Gate Quality Assessment’ in the Ayush sector? It is the practice of testing and certifying the quality of medicinal herbs at the very location where they are harvested (the farm gate), rather than at a distant processing unit. By using AI-driven portable tools, this process identifies the chemical potency and purity of plants immediately, ensuring that only standardized raw materials enter the supply chain. This provides immediate feedback to farmers and prevents the mixing of sub-standard or adulterated materials early in the logistics cycle.
Policy Relevance
The integration of digital tools at the point of origin is no longer an option but a necessity for India to maintain its leadership in the global herbal market.
Global Competitiveness: Standardizing raw materials through AI and blockchain will build global confidence in Indian Ayush products, facilitating smoother exports to regulated markets like the EU and USA.
Reducing Supply Chain Fragmentation: The seminar fostered convergence among scientists, policymakers, and industry leaders to move away from fragmented interventions toward integrated, technology-driven solutions.
Support for Make in India: Strengthening the quality of raw materials at the source reinforces India’s position as a reliable supplier of high-quality medicinal inputs for domestic and international pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Technological Readiness: The deliberations confirmed that India is both technically and institutionally prepared to deploy advanced diagnostics, digital phenotyping, and integrated quality frameworks.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can the NMPB scale the deployment of ‘Portable AI-Testing Devices’ to remote forest-dwelling communities and small-scale farmers to ensure that the digital quality roadmap remains inclusive and accessible?
Follow the full news here: AI and Blockchain for India’s Medicinal Plant Supply Chain