Organic herb segment demands govt focus

Stakeholders of the organic herb segment have urged the government to exploit the herbs and crude drugs industry by promoting their cultivation and research and development (R&D) activities.

Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) Organic Herbs Committee Convener Zeeshan Nazim stressed that the government should regain and restore Pakistan's position in the global market for its valuable and precious organic herbal products.

"Some of our neighbouring countries have achieved much more than us and we are left behind due to lack of interest in a vast range of products that can be produced through cultivation and research and development work on organic herbs," he said in a statement on Friday.

He emphasised the need for purchasing appropriate machinery and establishing proper factories for processing and packaging of herbs and herbal material. He lamented the lack of positive response from the policymakers to the issue.

Unisame President Zulfikar Thaver said that herbal organic roots and drugs were a heritage of Pakistan and deserved attention of the leadership.