Value Added of Medicinal Plants Cultivation is for Processing and Prevention of Selling Raw Products

According to a report by IRNA, in a conference for the Rural Officials of Markazi Province, held in this province’s governorate building, Seyed Abolfazl Razavi said, “One of this Government of Prudence and Hope’s macro policies is to bring together technology and medicinal plants in order to help processing and prevention of selling raw products. Furthermore, incentive policies have been considered for the applicants of this industry.”

He went on to say, “Medicinal plants cultivation has valuable capacities for increasing rates and value added as well as creating sustainable employment. However, what forms healthy competition in the medicinal plants industry, is making use of process industries.”

Vice-president of the Development of Rural and Deprived Areas also noted, “Iran’s medicinal plants variety is more than two thousand species, taking into account the process industry, considerable employment can be provided for the rural population.”

He further stated, “It is evaluated that the global turnover for saffron is over 8 billion, 200 million dollars; however, although 94 percent of the world’s saffron is produced in Iran, the least of the turnover is for our country.”

“There is one type of Rosa damascena essential oil which is used as a base for producing perfumes and colognes and it is traded for 800 million rials per liter. However, the technique to analyze this product does not exist in Iran, and the Iranian producers sell this product at a very low price and in raw forms.”

He added, “The construction of solar power stations has started in the country since a few years back, and the Vice-presidency of the Development of Rural and Deprived Areas is willing to support the investors.”

He indicated that the rural facility rate is 6 percent, “The banking facilities is granted to the applicants via Keshavarzi bank, Tose’e Ta’avon bank and Post bank.”

Razavi said that the rural bank facilities with a three-year pause for the first repayment will be given to applicants, “The land where the economic plan is to be carried out, the apparatus and machinery as well as title deed of rural lands are all considered as collateral for the banks. However, no bank is permitted to demand rural applicants, collateral from urban areas.”

“The Government of Prudent and Hope believes in the development of process industry, handicrafts industry, and tourism. With the collaboration of Ministry of Industry,  Mine and Trade, an industrial area has been considered for every rural district.”

Vice-president of the Development of Rural and Deprived Areas said, “The rural entrepreneurs from all over Markazi Province can tackle their problems by forming a guild.”

He referred to stabilization of rural population as the main program of Vice-presidency of the Development of Rural and Deprived Areas, “Rural officials must collaborate with the Islamic Rural Councils to prevent villagers and the rural population from immigrating to cities. In doing so, they need to take steps in alliance with economic entrepreneurship, employment, receiving development credits, being attentive to the health and medical needs of the rural population, supervising the implementation of the Rural Construction Plan as well as developing the rural tourism.”

Razavi further noted, “Rural official play a fundamental role in the development of villages. It is required for them to have vast knowledge of the potentials, capacities and capabilities and to prioritize in order to remove the obstacles.”

At the end of the meeting, some rural officials presented reports of their activities as well as mentioned their problems and deficiencies.

Out of one thousand, two hundred and ten villages with residents, in Markazi Province, 792 have rural municipalities, and can benefit from the rural development and construction plans and services.