TIRANA, Sept 20 /ATA/- The Agency for Agriculture and Rural Development (ARDA) has funded 816 projects for setting up storage and processing facilities, selection and packaging lines, as well as for planting medicinal plants, totaling 351,956,394 ALL.
Albania is rich in medicinal and aromatic herbs that create employment opportunities for more than 100,000 families living in rural areas of the country.
With a surface area of around 500 ha planted with medicinal and aromatic herbs, Albania is a leader in production and export of these natural assets.
The medicinal and aromatic herbs sector generates over EUR 10mln in exports, listed as the second largest sector in agricultural exports.
Albania exports roughly 13,000 tons of medicinal plants. Traditionally Albania exports raw, wild medicinal herbs, which are exported for processing and packaging abroad.
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These processed herbs are used in the food industry for herbal teas, various food preparations, in the form of cooking spices, as extracts for essential oils, or in the beverage industry, health products, cosmetics and perfumes.
Sage is one of most sought after Albanian medicinal plants. Albania is one of the leading exporters of this plant in the United States of America. According to the data, Albania supplies 70% of the US market demand for sage.
Albanian medicinal plants supply French, German and Italian markets.
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