Medicinal and aromatic plants: Boon for enterprise development

• Potential in medicinal and aromatic plants is reviewed for developing an enterprise.
• Ample opportunities are envisaged in medicinal and aromatic plants-based enterprise.
• MAPs sector consists of different segments, including cultivation and marketing.
• Each segment on its own has potential for developing an exclusive enterprise.

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have been recognized as an important resource for health care and perfumery since antiquity. At present, there is a vast scope for enterprise development in this natural resource. The wealth of knowledge on the use of MAPs and different stages of MAPs sector, including collection, cultivation, processing, marketing, value addition and manufacturing, each stage on its own forms a base for an exclusive enterprise. Realizing the enormous potential for building up entrepreneurship in the MAPs sector, the present paper aims to review and discuss the ways and areas of concerns for MAPs-based enterprise development, including certification, value addition, marketing and policy frameworks.