BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 23. Iran attaches special importance to the export of herbal plants as it is one of the main locations where medicinal plants grow naturally in the world, said Tarahhom Behzad, an official of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization of Iran, Trend reports.
Behzad noted that Iran has exported more than 850 kilograms of herbal plants from the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2023) to date.
The official added that Iran has 11 of the 14 natural climates in the world, which allows for the growth of various types of medicinal plants.
He revealed that 8,600 plant species have been discovered in Iran so far, and 2.3 million of them are herbal plants that are directly used in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements.
According to Behzad, Iran has 6 million hectares of land where herbal plants grow.
He also said that the state has allocated 5.64 trillion rials (about $134 million) for managing the herbal plant areas since 1979 (the year of the Islamic Revolution in Iran). However, he said that this amount is too low, as it averages only 1,550 rials (about $0.04) per hectare.
Iran produces various kinds of medicinal plants, some of which are cultivated and some of which are wild.
The country has around 270,000 hectares of land dedicated to growing medicinal plants. Every year, Iran harvests about 360,000 tons of these plants. Most of them (70 percent) are used domestically, while the rest (30 percent) are sold to other countries.
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