The first Syrian project for manufacturing aqueous extracts and essential oils
Medicinal and aromatic plants are considered promising crops that achieve added value through the manufacturing process, whether as dryers, powders, or oils and water extracts, as a number of Syrian companies have become active in the field of these industries.
Dr. Majid Qiyasah, director of advertising in one of the companies for manufacturing aromatic plants explained that their company is working to plant some aromatic, medicinal and wild plants in cooperation with farmers to obtain organic plants free of pesticides and chemicals, to manufacture highly effective products according to Quality specifications and acceptable prices.
He pointed out that there are two types of their company’sproducts including cosmetic and therapeutic to treat digestive and respiratory problems , indicating that this project is the first Syrian project to produce aqueous extracts “such as water of rose, chamomile, lemon balm and lavender in addition to other products.
Concerning the company’s experience of relying on their own resources, Qiyasah said: “ We cultivated the Damascene rose, in addition to other herbal plants in the countryside of Damascus, relying on organic farming and without the use of pesticides, and away from pollution sources to secure the factory’s requirements of raw materials with high quality and lower costs.
He stressed the importance of spreading the culture of awareness and introducing the local herbal and aromatic raw materials that grow naturally or are grown on private farms, indicating that work is also ongoing to develop natural herbal and cosmetic products to maintain the quality of production in coordination with the Syrian Arab Organization for Standardization and Metrology ( SASMO) and international bodies concerned to ensure the export of the Syrian product to the world markets.
Regarding the importance of this type of industries in supporting the national economy, the agricultural engineer, Omar Al-Shalet, the former head of the Damascus Chamber of Agriculture, explained that the process of manufacturing medical and aromatic products and other herbs and plants that grow naturally in our country, is an advanced step towards achieving added value instead of exporting them as raw materials.
He stressed the importance of developing the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants and supporting the manufacturing process, as they constitute a natural pharmacy and a real national wealth that greatly supports the national economy.
Al-Shalet called for increasing interest in agricultural scientific research to develop this agriculture in addition to encourage and train farmers to grow a larger number and wider areas of medicinal and aromatic plants and provide the necessary support for industrial facilities that contribute to the process of collecting, marketing and manufacturing them.
Rawaa Ghanam