Tehran, Iran, November 5
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
$300 million worth of medicinal herbs have been exported from Iran since January, according to Peyman Yousefi Azar, director of Medicinal Herbs Department of Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture
This is while saffron comprised almost two thirds of the exports, he told reporters, IRIB news agency reported November 5.
In the meantime, the Damask rose comprised a third of the exports, Yousefi Azar said.
Noting that there is already a market worth around $150 billion for medicinal herbs in Europe, the official stated that different kinds of herbal tea comprise half of the market of medicinal herbs.
The official said that if Iran makes due investment, medicinal herbs could eventually become an important non-oil source of revenues.
The key consumer markets of Iranian-grown medicinal herbs in order of import volume are Pakistan, the UAE, Germany, Japan, and China.
Iran is generally considered as one of the most geographically diverse countries and can host 7,500 floral species, of which 1,800 are used in medicine.
The country produces around 210 tons of saffron each year, of which some 70 percent is exported.