Awareness holds key to success of AYUSH mark, says industry

PM Modi had said that India would soon introduce the AYUSH mark, which will give authenticity to quality AYUSH products of the country.

While India’s AYUSH (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha, and homoeopathy) industry welcomed the move to have the AYUSH mark for quality products made in the country, some pointed out how global agencies recognise and acknowledge the stamp playing a key role in determining demand in international markets.

Speaking at the Global AYUSH Investment & Innovation Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi

had said that India would soon introduce the AYUSH mark, which will give authenticity to quality AYUSH products of the country.

Dabur India CEO Mohit Malhotra said the introduction of an AYUSH mark will go a long way in raising awareness about ayurveda and improve its acceptance in global markets. “In a post-Covid world, ayurveda and ayurvedic products are being recognised for their immunity building properties. The government, too, has been issuing guidelines advocating the use of ayurvedic supplements to boost immunity and fend off illnesses,” said Malhotra, adding that to promote the use and benefits of ayurveda, the government should mount large-scale promotional efforts on the lines of initiatives taken to promote yoga.

“These will go a long way in popularising ayurveda and help it become mainstream,” he added. Ameve Sharma, co-founder of Kapiva, a direct-to-consumer ayurvedic nutrition brand, and president of Baidyanath Group, pointed out that several players are investing in the latest technology to produce quality products that adhere to World Health Organization’s good manufacturing practices.

“Having an AYUSH mark will bring in the much-needed regulation in this largely unorganised industry. I expect players will step up and invest in plants and machinery. Apart from the government, the industry, too, needs to promote the AYUSH mark in their products to build consumer awareness,” said Sharma.

Legal experts felt that worldwide demand will depend upon how widely they are able to create awareness of this recognition. Aparna Gaur, leader, IP practice, Nishith Desai Associates, said, “The AYUSH mark will be given to products after some scrutiny. But how well we are able to create awareness will hold the key to worldwide demand.”

“At present, Sri Lanka is a key patron of ayurveda, but in terms of potential and availability of herbs, Kerala is a key place for alternative medicine. Hence, the AYUSH mark will give authenticity to even small traditional places in front of foreign clients,” said Raju Thomas, president, Ayurveda Medical Association of India.

AMAI is of the opinion that an AYUSH visa will give a boost to traditional medicine.

The Ministry of Defence signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of AYUSH on Wednesday to start ayurveda centres at 37 cantonment hospitals and 12 military health care facilities.

In the homoeopathy segment, a lot of people are concerned about the AYUSH mark, but experts indicate this may bring more users from abroad.

“At present, AYUSH patients are mostly visiting under tourist visas. This move will bring in more revenue and more investment in terms of medicine,” said Bhaskar Bhatt, former president of the Homoeopathic Medical Association of India.

“This is a success for traditional siddha medicines, which were there for more than 5,000 years. AYUSH mark will ensure better quality medicines and products are prepared,” said Dr G Ganapathy, a siddha practitioner and former joint director of Indian medicine, Government of Tamil Nadu.

At present, there are 296 hospitals and 859 dispensaries under the siddha segment in India. Similarly, 265 hospitals and 1,748 dispensaries are under the unani sector.