India at one time had a monopoly on the supply of rauwolfia to the world market. It is among the top 178 medicinal plants considered to be in high volume trade and consumption with global demand for rauwolfia estimated in the early 1980s to be 100–150 tonnes annually. Today it is growing significantly with the widespread use of the species by several phytopharmaceutical companies worldwide. There is a great demand for the alkaloids as well as the raw drug in the international market.

India is the world’s leading producer and consumer of rauwolfia root with estimated domestic consumption ranging from 200–500 tonnes. As per a 1993 FAO study 400–500 tonnes of roots are exploited annually mainly in India, Thailand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; 800 tonnes more are collected from wild sources in the western coast of Africa, mainly in Zaire, Mozambique and Rwanda, from where it is exported to Italy and West Germany.

According to data provided by the Ayurvedic Drug Manufacturers Association in Mumbai, India produced 800 tonnes of rauwolfia crude drugs in 1999 of which only 20% was used by India’s Ayurvedic industry. A supply and demand study including rauwolfia commissioned by the Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy of the Indian Government and WHO, estimated demand for 2001–2002 as 423.6 tonnes and for 2004–2005 as 588.7 tonnes, much higher than earlier estimates. The market price during 1999–2000 was reported to be INR 150,000/tonne (US $3435/t). The current market price of rauwolfia in the world trade is INR 600–3000/kg (US $10–50/kg) depending on the quality.

The major trading centres for rauwolfia are Kolkata, Mumbai and Patna which in turn are supplied by a number of primary traders throughout the country. Over-collection of rauwolfia root earlier has significantly decreased supply and since 1997 there is no embargo on export of wild-harvested drug from India. India exports over 260 tonnes of extracts/formulations based on rauwolfia. The chief importing countries of rauwolfia from India are UK, Netherlands, Phillippines, UAE, United States, Portugal and Singapore. Exporters other than India are Thailand, Zaire, Mozambique and Rwanda. Export of Rauwolfia from Nepal was banned in 1995.