The collected materials are mostly dumped with the traders, who with their limited knowledge sort out the saleable ingredients in a crude manner, resulting in contamination with other materials leading to poor quality. Many of the medicinal plants are sensitive to climatic conditions, requiring proper drying and storage under specific temperature and humidity. This aspect is largely neglected by the collectors, growers and traders leading to deterioration and rejection of the produce particularly for the international market. For example: the forest collectors gather large quantities of medicinal herbs upto  tens of tons every year  between October and December. The limited sunshine during these months results in improperly dried fruits, leading to inferior quality and rejection, and as a consequence a loss of income and wasted resources.

**********