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Expansion of trade geography and shifting up the value chain, creation of a separate export edition of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia, building manufacturing capacity for exports, creating a real-time Ayurveda Trade Dashboard, focused regulatory compliance strategy in key markets, and trade facilitation by reducing the pain points in export are some of the short-term strategies suggested by a NITI Aayog study to grow global exports of Ayurveda from the country.
The report titled 'Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global' from the Health Division of NITI Aayog details a comprehensive assessment of Ayurveda's global footprint and a phased roadmap for making Ayurveda global.
"India’s Ayurveda exports are currently concentrated in a few geographies (notably the US, EU, and UAE) and are dominated by low-value-added categories such as herbs and extracts. A focused diversification strategy should target Asian and African markets where traditional medicine systems are culturally accepted and Ayurveda already has some degree of recognition; using country-prioritisation, in-market partnerships, and targeted promotion through Indian missions, trade fairs and B2B buyer–seller meets," said the report while elaborating the short term goals of up to the year 2029.
In parallel, export strategy should explicitly aim to increase the share of finished products (Ayurvedic pharmaceuticals, OTC wellness products and dietary supplements) by adaptation of local regulations, strengthening brand-building and consumer trust, and enabling manufacturer readiness with quality systems, packaging and labelling abilities and stability data.
"We need to create a specialised version of India’s Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia that meets international regulatory expectations, especially those of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and its Herbal Medicinal Products Committee (HMPC)," it said.
India need to ensure that raw material sourcing follows Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) and manufacturing follows Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), data on contaminants and heavy metals (heavy metals, pesticides, aflatoxins, microbes) is provided and chemical fingerprinting is used to prove batch-to-batch consistency.
There is a need to strengthen the AyushExcil, with specialised cells within the council for major markets, and support desk for exporters to guide the industry through complex international regulations like THMPD (EU), DSHEA (US), NHP (Canada), TGA (Australia) permitted indications can be immediate next steps for an expanded AyushExcil.
Playbooks for each market can be prepared along with a dossier diary, so that every manufacturer doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel every time, it said.
To enable evidence-based trade policy and industry decision-making, a dedicated Ayurveda Trade Dashboard should be instituted to provide near real-time import–export intelligence across HS codes mapped to Ayurveda product categories (raw herbs, extracts, formulations, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, devices, etc.)
A robust dashboard will help identify emerging markets early, monitor the impact of policy interventions, detect supply-chain bottlenecks, and guide exporters toward high-potential products and geographies, thereby improving responsiveness and reducing information asymmetry, it added.
It observed that a persistent barrier to scaling Ayurveda exports is regulatory uncertainty and compliance complexity in major markets.
"India should adopt a focused “pathfinder” strategy that concentrates resources on (i) qualifying a single high-potential herb/ingredient (e.g., Psyllium/Isabgol) through the most credible pathway in the US (drug/OTC monograph or other appropriate route, supported by safety, quality and clinical evidence where needed), and (ii) instituting formal technical engagement in Europe through a structured working party with EDQM to pursue Ayurveda-relevant monographs and quality standards," added the report.
Ayurveda products often fall under broad herbal or food categories, which can cause confusion and delays in customs clearance. Aligning HS codes specifically for Ayurveda items ensures consistent classification globally, reducing trade friction. It also recommended leveraging Free Trade Agreements to facilitate market access, streamline regulatory approvals, and boost the export of Ayurveda and herbal medicines to global markets.
The medium term goals to be achieved up to the year 2035 include upgrading the local Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines to WHO-GMP guidelines with an online database of Ayurveda manufacturers with WHO-GMP certification, promoting overseas finishing units, and Ayurveda as a Service (AaaS) model, where the Ayurveda service delivery centres abroad offer standardised Panchakarma, preventive care, rehabilitation, and integrative wellness packages backed by Indian-trained practitioners and accredited protocols.
Long term goals up to the year 2047 include working with WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) to create global safety and efficacy benchmarks, publishing annual global safety report and global evidence report, building a distinct identity of Ayurveda, among others.
While the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a $5.4 billion exports with overseas units having Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certifications, the Indian Ayurveda industry has a $2.16 billion exports with India-centric production. There is an opportunity to promote overseas finding units and getting compliance with the regulators of more countries.
The majority of exports from India are in the form of raw products, such as plants and extracts. When it comes to the finished products in the form of Pharmaceuticals, the numbers are much lower, it observed.
Only 4.83% of total exports to the USA and 15.4% to the EU are in the form of pharmaceuticals. A major factor behind this is the lack of regulatory approval for the marketing of Ayurveda products as drugs in these markets.
The top export destinations from India for Ayush and Herbal Products during FY 2023-24 include US ($183.31 million), Germany ($62.64 million), Italy ($36.20 million), China ($27.94 million), and UAE ($25.11 million).
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