Headquarters for the Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine Technologies of the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy: Over $600 Million in Medicinal Plant Exports
The headquarters announced that currently, about 90% of various medicinal plants are produced domestically; however, the share of exports and sales of these valuable natural products worldwide is not particularly significant or realistic. The value of official exports of medicinal plants and traditional herbal products in 2013 was approximately $350 million, which has increased to over $660 million in recent years. The total export value excluding saffron is estimated at $370 million. It is worth noting that the headquarters has supported 40 medicinal plant mechanization projects and the commencement of the construction of three large medicinal plant processing refineries in the country.
Research Institute of Food Science and Technology affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology: Research Center for Medicinal Plant Extract Processing to be Established
The institute, along with a holding company, signed a scientific, research, and technology cooperation agreement to establish a research and technology center for knowledge creation in the extraction and processing of extracts, essential oils, and high value-added industrial and pharmaceutical plant compounds. According to the agreement, the parties are committed to developing scientific, technical, and research collaborations, defining and implementing major long-term research projects (mega-projects), and developing related technical knowledge, developing new high value-added products, and drafting necessary standards for raw materials and related products within the mission scope of the center by the institute, and providing necessary resources, credits, and infrastructure for the implementation of these measures by the private industrial group.
Vice President for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy: The Medicinal Plant Industry Requires Long-Term Planning
Dehghani Firouzabadi, in the first meeting of the Council of the Headquarters for the Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine Technologies, stated that the production of medicinal plants and their economic value must be transformed into a framework with a specified operational dimension, and each action must be pursued by the respective department.
Beginning of Rose Harvest in Sistan and Baluchestan
The Director of Horticulture of the Agriculture Jihad Organization of Sistan and Baluchestan announced that the harvest of damask roses from 140 hectares of orchards in this province has begun. He predicted that this year, 300 tons of damask roses will be collected from the fertile orchards of Sistan and Baluchestan and, after processing in the region, will be offered to the market as rose water and dried roses. He added that 12 semi-industrial and traditional rose water distillation and essential oil extraction workshops are active in the province. The main rose-growing areas in Sistan and Baluchestan are the Sistan region, Taftan, Khash, Zahedan, and Mirjaveh.
