New Delhi, Jun 5 (IANS): The National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) and the National Botanical Research Institute(CSIR-NBRI) have signed an MoU for extending joint collaborative efforts to boost the cultivation and production of medicinal plants and herbs in India.

The MoU will facilitate development of Quality Planting Material (QPM) of medicinal plants and herbs identified by NMPB, help in establishment of their nurseries for QPM, development, promotion, conservation and cultivation of the appropriate medicinal plants in different agro-climatic zones, including the threatened medicinal plant species and plants for the high-altitude regions.

Through this collaboration, NMPB will support CSIR-NBRI in carrying out the potential medicinal plant species with high commercial value for the germplasm collection or conservation and establishment of nursery, seed banks, and gene banks. The MoU was signed on Friday.

NBRI while undertaking the survey of medicinal plants will work in coherence with NMPB in the desired direction.

The outreaches of NMPB and its implementing agencies like State Medicinal Plants Boards (SMPB's), Regional-cum-facilitation centres will work together under the ambit of this MoU.

Working under the Ministry of Ayush, NMPB is mandated to coordinate all matters relating to medicinal plants and support policies and programmes for growth of trade, export, conservation and cultivation of medicinal plants.