Sri Lankan minister for health and indigenous medicine Rajitha Senarathne sought steps to enhance bilateral cooperation between Sri Lanka and Kerala in the field of ayurveda.

Speaking after inaugurating the third edition of the five-day Global Ayurveda Festival, billed as the biggest conclave of ayurveda fraternity , at Swapna Nagari he said that there was much scope for collaboration including in import and export of raw material needed for manufacture of ayurveda medicines and also in exchange of knowledge, the Times of India reported.

“I would also like to explore possibilities for collaborative research and in ad dressing IPR issues,” he said, adding that Sri Lanka also had a strong tradition of indigenous medicine dating back to 2,000 years.

Stressing the need to modernize ayurveda, he said the traditional system of medicine should be strengthened by adopting modern technological inputs and research and development and by having innovative marketing strategies.

Presiding over the function, state agriculture minister K P Mohanan said that Kerala, which was endowed with plentiful supplies of medicinal plants and herbs, was poised to become the global hub of ayurveda. However, the minister said that people in the state were now paying the price for embracing allopathic medicine seeking a quick cure.

Inaugurating the ayurveda expo held as part of the event, opposition leader VS Achuthanandan said that the government should provide ayurveda the same consideration it was giving modern medicine. Around 500 organizations are participating in the expo.

-Agencies