Kenyan officials say China offering template for natural products development

NAIROBI, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's advanced natural products industry, which includes herbal therapies and cuisine, is an inspiration for developing countries keen to harness biological, cultural and archeological assets to promote growth, senior officials said on Wednesday.

Mary Gikungu, director-general of the National Museums of Kenya, noted that China offers best practices in preserving historical sites and indigenous knowledge related to medicine, cuisine and attire.

"When it comes to the issue of food, China is very keen on their indigenous food. They serve you right from the airport. There are opportunities to partner with them, build capacity, infrastructure that can support that (natural products development)," said Gikungu.

She spoke on the sidelines of an event to announce the first International Investment Conference and Trade Fair on Indigenous Knowledge Intellectual Assets to be held in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, scheduled for April 21-23.

During the conference and exhibition, Kenya will showcase its heritage-based assets, including pottery, basket weaving, herbal remedies and indigenous food, to investors keen on venturing into the country's natural products industry.

Evans Taracha, national coordinator of the Natural Products Industry initiative at the National Museums of Kenya, said the country could draw lessons from China to protect heritage assets for posterity.

"I like drawing on the examples of China in this space because China has perfected traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is not uncommon to go to China and find TCM being dispensed in big health facilities," Taracha said.

He singled out artemisinin-based combination therapy, which is globally being used to treat clinical malaria, as an example of China's prowess in harnessing organic compounds to manage tropical diseases.