Commerce and Industry, AYUSH ministries to work jointly to boost export of AYUSH products

The decision was taken recently in a joint review meeting attended by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of AYUSH Shripad Naik.

It was also decided that the AYUSH ministry will work in collaboration with the Bureau of Indian standards to develop international standards for AYUSH products and services.

The statement said, "It was also decided in the review that the entire AYUSH sector will work together to achieve price and quality competitiveness to boost AYUSH exports."

The review was held through video conference on December 4 which was attended by nearly 50 industry and trade leaders from the AYUSH sector. More than 2000 stake-holders of the AYUSH sector also attended the event through live streaming on virtual platforms.

Naik highlighted the growing global interest in AYUSH-based solutions for disease resistance and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"He stated that trade and commerce in the AYUSH sector needed to be upscaled quickly in order to meet the growing demands from India and abroad, and to serve the larger number of people who are now looking up to these systems for maintaining their health," the statement said.

Praising the frontline role played by the AYUSH sector in the fight against COVID-19, Goyal said, "The spurt in exports of AYUSH products in the recent months is a direct reflection of their growing popularity in many countries. The standardisation of the HS codes related to export will be considered on priority as a step to promote exports."