Kochi: The state-owned ayurvedic manufacturing company Oushadi plans to enter into the manufacturing of veterinary medicines, according to its managing director Dr V M Gopala Menon. This project will be launched immediately.

Oushadi is also planning for medical plant cultivation to meet its demands. It had acquired 120 acres of land for medical plant cultivation at Pariyaram in Kerala. It also plans to open a panchakarma hospital at Thrissur with an investment of Rs 30 lakh.

Veterinary medicine manufacturing will be the next major step by Oushadhi. At present, we are supplying medicines for the elephants at Guruvayoor temple. These are the same lehiyamms and other medicines manufactured by us. But we are planning to enter into veterinary medicine manufacturing in a big way. We can do it in our factory with the existing infrastructure with an additional investment of Rs 50 lakh. The state government will provide the additional investment. Apart from this, Oushadhi also plans to cultivate all possible ayurvedic medicines at Pariyaram, Menon said.

He said Oushadhi has been making profits for the past few years. We had Rs 11 crore turnover last year. Oushadhi Chyavanaprasam, Pramehoushadhi and Hairoil are some of our fast-moving items. These medicines are available in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Oushadhi is now supplying medicines for governments of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. We have 400 products and these are available in our agencies all over Kerala. The state government itself buy medicines worth Rs 3 crore every year from Oushadhi for its ayurvedic hospitals.

Oushadi was founded as Sree Kerala Varma Government Ayurvedic Pharmacy in 1941 at the instance of the Maharaja of Cochin for the supply of medicines to the government ayurvedic hospitals in Thrissur and the erstwhile princely family of the Cochin state.
In 1959 it was converted and registered as a cooperative society, and was named as Sree Kerala Varma Ayurvedic Cooperative Pharmacy and Stores Limited.