NEW DELHI, INDIA — In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Indian consumer goods company Dabur India has expanded its line of ayurvedic products to fulfill rising demand for food and other things based on traditional Hindu cures. Dabur has released more than 50 ayurvedic products since the spring of 2020, as more people turn to ancient healing practices to prevent and cure disease. Dabur began selling ayurvedic products at a modest drugstore in Kolkata, eastern India, in 1884. Dabur now offers a wide range of consumer products in the food, beverage, and health care industries as a publicly traded corporation. It is also the largest distributor of Ayurvedic medicines in the world. Dabur’s operating revenue, or sales from core activities, was 87 billion rupees ($1.17 billion) in fiscal 2020. Currently, the company exports to over 100 countries in Europe and beyond. “Since the COVID outbreak last year, Dabur has created over 50 new [antivirus] products in a matter of three to four months,” CEO Mohit Malhotra told Nikkei. “These include ayurvedic immune boosters, health juices, health drops, and a variety of personal and household cleanliness items such as hand sanitizers and disinfectants,” says the company. COVID-19 infections in India rose at the quickest rate in the globe earlier this year, reaching at more over 400,000 per day in early May. “In the post-COVID era, health has emerged as a key consumer need,” Malhotra added. “Ayurveda-based preventive health care has risen in popularity among consumers.” Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medical system that has been practiced for over 5,000 years. It is a holistic, self-help strategy to keeping people healthy that involves the use of 600 herb combinations and massage. Dabur used ayurvedic herbs to make medications, drink, confectionery, hand disinfection, and other goods as COVID worries escalated. Dabur’s products have also benefited from the scarcity of COVID vaccinations in India. The Ministry of Ayush in India, which oversees traditional medical practices, emphasized the value of regular routines in boosting immunity. Ginger, basil, cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, garlic, and other similar compounds, many of which are utilized in ayurvedic treatments, are listed as immune enhancers by the ministry. “The epidemic has also resulted in a shift in consumer shopping behavior, with internet shopping becoming more popular,” Malhotra said. “We’ve started launching a number of new products particularly for online markets, in response to this increasing trend.” Dabur has created personal care items like shampoo, soap, lotion, and infant products. It also sells organic honey and ayurvedic mouthwashes online. Due to rigorous lockdowns, the number of new infections in India has dropped to roughly 40,000 per day. However, because vaccines are still uncommon, traditional therapies are unlikely to fade away anytime soon.
Clinics specializing in ayurvedic medicine, such as this one in Ahmadabad, Gujarat, are becoming more popular. According to Reuters
As part of its “Make in India” campaign to support more than 20 domestic sectors, the government is pushing yoga and other wellness and health care practices in addition to ayurvedic treatments.
According to the Indian Chamber of Commerce, India’s wellness and health care sector is worth 490 billion rupees. The government has allocated out 30 billion rupees for the sector in its fiscal 2021 budget, up 40% from the previous year. Yoga is particularly popular among conventional health care items since it can be done at home during lockdowns. Based on a proposal by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a passionate yoga practitioner, the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga in 2015. The UN resolution to commemorate the day was backed by 175 countries./n
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