NEW DELHI, Nov 16 (Reuters) - India, concerned at the possibility of migratory birds bringing bird flu into the country, has asked China for the raw material to make the antiviral drug Tamiflu, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

Although India has not reported any case of bird flu, authorities have been monitoring nesting sites across the country which receive thousands of migratory birds in winter from countries like China and Russia, which have reported outbreaks.

New Delhi's request for a "cost-effective supply" of raw material for Tamiflu came after talks between Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and his Chinese counterpart Gao Qiang in Beijing, the health ministry said in a statement.

"One of the most important outcomes of the visit is the likely supply of raw material for manufacturing Tamiflu," it said. "This is to combat the bird flu likely to strike the South Asian region, including India, in the coming foreseeable future."

India has taken thousands of blood samples from birds in the past few weeks and all have tested negative. But New Delhi said it was preparing for possible human cases of the avian flu and plans to stock up one million doses of Tamiflu.

The star-shaped anise fruit, grown in China, is one source of shikimic acid, the starting point in the 10-step process which Roche says is key to produce the drug.

The H5N1 bird flu virus is endemic in poultry in several Asian nations and has killed 64 people. Experts fear the H5N1 could mutate into a form that moves from human to human, sparking a pandemic.