According to official statistics, 112 varieties of medicinal plants in Uzbekistan are registered for use in scientific medicine, of which 70 are used in the pharmaceutical industry. In recent years, the areas of their cultivation in Uzbekistan have significantly expanded and the number of farmers/entrepreneurs involved in the commercial production and processing of medicinal plants is growing, EastFruit experts note.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, as of February 2023, the total area of cultivation of medicinal plants in the country is 17 300 ha, of which 4 200 ha are irrigated lands, and 13 100 ha are lands with no irrigation channels. In 2022, these plantations produced 19 100 tonnes of medicinal plants, and the number of economic entities growing them amounted to 235.
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In 2023, it is planned to allocate 17 700 ha for the cultivation of medicinal plants. A total of 20 000 tonnes of medicinal plants are planned to be produced in these areas, including 16 000 tonnes of licorice, 1 300 tonnes of capers, 700 tonnes of ferula, 600 tonnes of wild rose, and 1 400 tonnes of other medicinal plants.
Thus, the volume of production of medicinal plants in Uzbekistan will increase to 20 000 tonnes in 2023 compared to 19 100 in 2022, i.e. by 4.7%.
We remind you that the area for growing medicinal plants is planned to be increased to 36 000 ha by 2026, and a number of benefits have been approved for producers and processors of medicinal plants from September 1, 2022. These are, namely, a reduction in the rate of land tax, income tax, and property tax by 50%; subsidies for drilling wells for irrigation; preferential loans; compensation of up to 50% of transportation costs when shipped for export and other benefits.
In January 2023, EastFruit wrote that Uzbekistan plans to provide ferula producers with a number of tax benefits.
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