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Medicinal herbs are grown by farmers of Western Ukraine as an alternative to borscht vegetables

Ukraine
Published Mar 12, 2023

Tridge summary

In recent years, farmers in western Ukraine have retrained from borscht vegetables to growing medicinal herbs. This market is difficult, but promising, profits from the sale of herbs - in three to five years. This is reported by the High Castle. It is noted that today there are 10 companies working on this market, growing herbs on fields with an area of more than 2,000 hectares. "There is a trend for healthy food, and medicinal herbs and spices are precisely in this area. The global herb market is growing year by year. Despite the war, the buyers of our herbs are USA, Japan, China, India and EU countries, most often Germany, Bulgaria and Poland. The demand for herbs is growing, but so are the requirements for the quality of raw materials. There are many different analyzes of herbs to make it to international markets. In particular, there is a demand for herbs with the "Organic logo". There have been cases where farmers have sprayed the grass with pest spray, and when it was harvested and dried, there was a smell of the spray. It is absolutely impossible to sell such herbs," Yevhen Shumeyk, director of the Dobrotrav company, was quoted as saying by the publication.

Original content

According to him, before the full-scale invasion, the consumption of medicinal herbs in Ukraine amounted to 1,000 tons per year. But then the market collapsed. The reason is that women with children went abroad to buy medicinal herbs for teas and other medical treatments. Herbs are grown mainly for export. Elderberry, valerian, nettle, plantain, sage are in demand. In particular, sage is taken as a spice. A big consumer of sage is the USA. It is also grown in Europe. A big plus of sage is that it is not fussy to grow and you can save money on weeding. Sage releases substances that block the growth of weeds. Lemon balm and nettle are also popular," emphasizes Yevhen Shumeiko. In recent years, the prices of medicinal herbs have been increasing both in Ukraine and in the EU. Last year, arnica was the most expensive at $250-300/kg. The plant grows only in the Carpathians, it needs a complex of favorable climate and humidity. Another nuance of the high price is that scientists have ...
Source: Superagronom
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