Indian MSME Manufacturers Must Explore Pharma Industry Potential: Assam Health Ministry

Eyeing at decreasing the volume of imports in the pharmaceuticals and pharma equipment sector, it is essential to focus on domestic manufacturing placing the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises as the key players, Assam Health Ministry said.

Dr Parthajyoti Gogoi, Regional Director for Health and F.W, Assam, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that it is high time that the country moves away from relying on imports and start to explore domestic manufacturing.

He said that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the sector can act as key players to support this drive of Make in India.

Explaining further Gogoi added that the pharma industry be it the making of drugs, or the making of pharma equipment, there is huge potential for the domestic manufacturers to step in and provide not only for the nation, but also for the neighbouring countries.

The Director further said that the industry needs to expand in terms of geography. While for now most of the units are concentrated in southern states, North-eastern states can be explored for establishing the industry.

He informed that some of the small and micro level units are coming up in the north eastern states of Guwahati and Mizoram, which indicates a hotspot for the industry in the coming times.

Commenting on the concern of innovation, Gogoi said that the MSMEs in most of the cases are open to innovation. The state government along with the centre may run innovation programs so that the MSMEs can specialize in the sector.

Earlier, Rao, Vadlamudi, President of Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) said that the country is all set to focus on domestic manufacturing and is sure that India will soon become self-sufficient and self-reliant and is likely to substitute imports in a big way.