Fivefold Increase in Medicinal Plants Cultivation in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province

The deputy minister of Plant Production Recovery Department of Agriculture Jihad Organization of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province said, “At the moment, 85 hectares of the agricultural lands of this province is under the cultivation of medicinal plants such as stevia, chamomile, pepper mint and lemon beebrush. However, the cultivation area of medicinal plants of this province had been 10 hectares in the last three years.”

Referring to the direct employment of between 8 to 15 people per hectare of medicinal plants cultivation area as well as production and revenue of between 250 to 400 million rial from medicinal plants cultivation, Shahram Askari said, “Ex gratia grants of between 5 to 90 million rial, bank facilities, financial support for pesticide application and crop drying are all among the governmental aids to develop medicinal plants’cultivation in this province.”

He indicated that there is a cultivation of Rosa damascena, a medicinal plant species, for the first time in 12 hectares of agricultural lands of Dehno and Kakan region of this province and said, “According to the plannings, 1000 hectares of agricultural areas of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province will be under the cultivation of Rosa damascena.”

Askari went on to say, “The cultivation of this plant will improve the aquifers, revenues, employment, tourism industry as well as the climate, and by doing so it will play an important role in the development of the country.”

This deputy minister of Plant Production Recovery Department of Agriculture Jihad Organization of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province announced that there will be employment for two people, for the cultivation of Rosa damascena per hectare.

The farmers of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, with the population of 700,000 people, produce 800,000 tonnes of crops, annually and deliver them to the consumer markets.

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting News