IITC Organic

Product Quality

Speaking about the quality of the products Mr. Singh says, "I don't think many companies are presenting products with certified organic ingredients. Therefore our products offer few specific advantages over similar conventional products in the market." He adds, "Firstly our products are free from chemicals and microbial hazards as they are procured and produced as per internationals standards of organic & SQF (Safe Quality Food). Secondly our philosophy has been translated into methodologies derived from ayurvedic principles where the 'prana' (the potency and life) of the herbs are protected and preserved to have highest efficacy."

He further says, "Organic status of herbal product does not only ensure the product to be free from pesticide and heavy metal residue but the organic cultivation system also pennits the plants, its natural and full expression which ensures the medicinal constituent and other identified and unidentified alkaloids in the plant to be present in its optimum and natural concentration. In a nutshell, due to the above complex reasons our herbal products have been found to be more effective besides being genuinely and totally hazard free."

Market Size

Mr. Singh puts an estimate to the size of the present market for branded trade of ayurvedic preparations in India at Rs. 2000 crores. "The actual trade in the form of bulk herbs is much higher. The traditional and local herbal business transactions are very hard to estimate which takes place through unorganized channels, including vaidyas and traditional practitioners,' he says. "There are about 1000 players of which few major ones are Dabur, Himalaya, Vaidyanath, Hamdard, Ranbaxy and Charak. We are the largest exporter of certified Indian bulk herbs," he adds.

Mr. Singh believes that India is a very good market for herbal products but the western market, especially the US and some of the European countries including UK , is developing faster than expected. He acknowledges the Indian herbal and ayurvedic market lost its credibility due to spurious and adulterated products, which are very poor in terms of quality and efficacy. "In the process ayurveda and herbal remedies got defamed and lost ground against modem chemical based drugs," he says, adding 'As per an estimate done by Exim Bank study India is poised to export Rs.1750 crores of herbal products during the year 2005-06."