Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 17 June, the first international exhibition of products from medicinal plants "Avicenna Heritage" was held at the SOF EXPO SAMARKAND exhibition complex in Jambay district of Samarkand region. 

The event was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Agency for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry, the Samarkand Regional Khokimiyat, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the State Committee for Forestry.

The official opening of the exhibition and the cutting of the ribbon were held by Alisher Turaev, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Nozir Ibragimov, Assistant to Khokim of Samarkand Region, Jamshid Eshmuradov, Deputy Director of the Pharmaceutical Industry Development Agency, Farhojon Toshpulatov, Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Alijon Mamakarimov, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Forestry.

The exhibition was attended by about 100 local entrepreneurs who grow and process medicinal plants and produce biologically active supplements based on medicinal plants, as well as employees of the Uzbek Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research Institute, the Association of Traditional Medicine of Uzbekistan, the Institute of Oriental Medicine and about 80 medical workers.

It was noted that at present, out of more than 4.3 thousand plants belonging to the local flora, 750 species are medicinal, of which 112 species are registered for use in scientific medicine, and 70 species are actively used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Now the districts plan to specialize in growing licorice, saffron, stinky ferula, lavender, stevia, chamomile, dog rose, rhubarb, sage, St. John’s wort, oregano, yarrow, ziziphora, caper, peppermint and other medicinal plants. At the same time, from 2022 to 2026, 36,000 hectares of new plantations for medicinal plantations will be planted.

Today’s exhibition, organized in the city of Samarkand, was created to provide favorable conditions for the further development, cultivation and processing of medicinal plants in the country and increase the export potential of the industry, as well as the integration of education, science and production processes. This will serve as a platform for creating opportunities for the efficient use of the raw material base of medicinal plants, the widespread use of medicinal plants in the prevention and treatment of diseases, the organization of deep processing through the support of business entities building cultural plantations of medicinal plants, and for entering a new level of value chain creation.