Imphal, Aug. 19: A herbal medicine research centre, which will convert unexploited medicinal plants of the Northeast into cash by extracting herbs and selling them to pharmaceutical companies, was launched in Senapati district today.

Deputy chief minister Y. Joykumar Singh inaugurated the Northeast Ethno Medicinal Research Centre in the sprawling complex of Krishi Vigyan Kendra in the district. The centre will be run by Foundation for Environment and Economic Development Services, an NGO, at Hengbung.

The project is funded by the Union ministry of science and technology.

Four scientists and 13 other staff will conduct research on various medicinal plants used in traditional healing systems by more than 200 ethnic communities in the Northeast.

The centre will identify the plants, extract herbs, study the chemical composition of the extracts and sell them to various pharmaceutical companies.

Experts said there are about 430 species of herbs with medicinal value in the region. Of these, 108 species are found in Manipur.

The centre will cultivate these plants in a 100-hectare conservation farm at the NGO complex and establish a herbarium. The centre will also establish a herb production unit which will collect such plants grown by farmers.

The extracts will be sold to pharmaceutical companies.

"The centre's objective is to utilise local resources and manpower along the lines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India plan. We will soon have local products with medicinal value," said H.B. Singh, one of the scientists of the ministry of science and technology who was present at the inaugural programme.

"The centre will focus initially on the plants that can cure diabetes, cancer and hypertension that are very common in Manipur," Th. Dhanaraj, head scientist of the centre, said.

The centre has already engaged two traditional healers to learn from their experiences. Commerce and industries minister Th. Biswajit Singh was also present at the programme.