Agri Business

Herbal Doctor Pushes For Factories for Medicinal Plants

Government has been called upon to focus its lenses on the processing of medicinal plants in the implementation of government’s flagship programs. According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Nhyiraba Afoakwa Herbal Centre at Atwima Trede in the Ashanti Region, plants with medicinal value merit equal recognition in the execution of such policies.

Dr. Jude Afoakwa who made the call on Rite FM’s flagship programme on Thursday wondered why the herbal sector despite fulfilling its registration and licensing requirements is denied formal recognition for orthodox medicine.

“The herbal sector is a registered and licensed institution like the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies that government is investing into but neglecting the sector even when most Ghanaians prefer herbal medicine to orthodox medicine,” he said.

Medicinal plants are mostly processed into forms like powder, liquid and solid chips for treatment. Scarcity of some plant species, snakebites during harvesting of medicinal plants and difficulty in obtaining license for their operation are some of the challenges facing such farmers.

Speaking in an interview with sit-in-host of Rite FM’s Morning Show, Dr. Kenneth Oliver to register the plight encountered in the cultivation of medicinal plants in Ghana, Dr. Afokwa criticized government for shelving the sector while focusing only on the pharmaceutical sector.

“Government has neglected the herbal sector while concentrating on the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies,” he complained.

He stressed that this shouldn’t be happening since the sector provides lots of job opportunities for Ghanaians.

“The herbal sector also employs personalities like the doctors, nurses and other staff who help in the running of the facilities as done in medical hospitals and for that matter helping reduce the menace of unemployment in the country. However, the main challenge they are facing now is how to process their herbs into medicines,” Dr. Afoakwa said.

The CEO is thus calling on the President, His Excellency, Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo and his government to consider the herbal sector in the implementation of the government’s one district, one factory initiative, by providing them with a factory to process their herbs into medicine; efficiently and effectively.

Research

Research indicates that there is considerable number of medicinal plants used for treating various diseases but the parts exploited for treatment and the methods used for exploiting them are not sustainable; hence herbalists complained of rareness of certain species.

The studies further recommended that herbalists should be helped to establish medicinal plant garden to relieve the pressure on the wild plants and also be cautious about harvesting techniques which leads to the total death of the plant.

Source; Prince Paul Amuzu/www.ritefmonline.org/princeamuzu667@gmail.com

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