Iranian Gov’t Supports Activists in Medicinal Plants Field
Damoun Razmjouyee referred to the development and implementation of various support programs to strengthen the value chain in this field, and said, “The medicinal plants and traditional medicine sector is one of the strategic capacities of the country's knowledge-based economy, which, with targeted planning and support for technological ideas, can play a decisive role in the development of production, employment, and exports.”
“Targeted use of local capacities in the field of medicinal plants and traditional medicine has provided a unique opportunity for the development of the knowledge-based economy in Iran,” he added.
“Development of the value chain, helping to standardize products, supporting innovative projects, facilitating the entry of companies into the market, and improving the level of cooperation between industry and universities are among the executive priorities of the Headquarters this year,” Razmjouyee said.
An Iranian official announced in February that the market capacity of Iran's herbal and traditional medicine for the next Persian calendar year (to start on March 21) is estimated at nearly 13-15 billion dollars, an official said.
“The value of this sector in the production and harvesting sector is $1.5 to $2 billion, in the import sector of medicinal plants $0.15 billion, in the export sector of medicinal plants $0.5 billion, and in the import sector of essential oils and extracts $0.3 billion,” said Seyed Seif Sahandi, the deputy head of the Technology Development Headquarters for Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine of Iran.
“The market capacity of medicinal plants and traditional medicine is estimated at approximately $13 to $15 billion,” he said, adding that the value chain of medicinal plants industries is $10 to $11 billion, and the value chain of traditional medicine is $2.7 to $4 billion.
“A year ago, the area under cultivation of medicinal plants was nearly 224,000 hectares, of which 50% is related to saffron cultivation. Cumin with 15%, rosehip with 10%, and fixweed with 5% are in the next ranks of the area under cultivation of medicinal plants, respectively,” Sahandi noted.
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