Fr.Lancy D'Cruz, we can say is the mind behind this project so I thought it would be best to talk to him about Aadi Aushadhi and other doubts that I had. I basically wanted to know where did he see Aadi Aushadhi now and after few years.
I got to know some of the very important things like where the products will actually go. Aadi Aushadhi plans to tie up with NGO's, doctors, village fairs and markets and few pharmacies for now and then it would want to go to departmental stores, stores like Khadi where they sell local products, stores on airport where there is international audience and if possible they would like to open their own store.
He also told me difference between rural audience and urban audience which is: Rural people trust traditional form of medicine also they cant afford allopathy and they don't pay much attention to packaging. While people in cities care about how the products look because that affects their status, they don't trust ayurvedic medicines since they are slow compared to allopathy, but they dont mind spending on quality product.
But a very important thing he told me was that Aadi Aushadhi is not just about herbal products, it is about people who make it so when people buy the products they will add value to their lives by helping the tribals earn living and by helping them maintain forests. Also the products are genuinely pure, natural, organic, unadulterated and harmless. The money earned by selling the products would go directly to the tribals who are the manufacturers since there is no middle man and therefore there is no chance of cheating here.
Fr.Lancy also shared a report by MBA students from Marquette University,USA who had worked on the same project. According to them it is important to recognize the story behind Aadi Aushadhi since the group is not only selling products that have a market value, but it is also generating other benefits to the greater Indian society. The group serves to preserve a culture and its traditional ways of life. It also reduces the consequences of poverty, reduces the necessity for Adavasi workers to migrate to cities for part of the year, and has solid environmental benefits (e.g., use of organic farming techniques, less water usage, reduced deforestation, etc.).Furthermore, this group is an example of entrepreneurship at work, focusing on self-help rather than a government handout.
Telling potential buyers about the program, the people who benefit from the program, and the details as to the care in which the products are grown and processed is an important aspect of the products that will increase their value among some customers.
