Orsha herbalists will begin supplying mackley, maral root, and sweet clover to pharmacies for the first time

July 26, Orsha District / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. Orsha herbalists will start supplying pharmacies with Macleaya, Maral root, and sweet clover for the first time. Kalina LLC (Orsha District) intends to develop and introduce five new plant-based medicinal products into production within the next five years, Director of the enterprise Vladimir Murashko told a BELTA correspondent.

Currently, the company cultivates 23 types of medicinal and spice-aromatic herbs and plants on almost 75 hectares. Thus, the enterprise intends to strengthen its position in the pharmaceutical market and expand its product range. The product list will be supplemented with chopped Macleaya leaves, meadowsweet flowers, Rhaponticum carthamoides leaves (popularly known as Maral root), medicinal sweet clover, and chopped birch leaves. The planned estimated cost of implementing production will be about Br44 million. The company's own funds will be the source of investment. By 2015, the production volume of new products will reach 160 thousand packages per year.

To diversify production and develop import-substituting products, Kalina LLC is developing technologies for the production of spice-aromatic crops for the food industry: caraway, dill, and coriander. It is planned to invest Br24 million of own funds for these purposes.

At the same time, the current production capacities of the enterprise no longer allow for increasing volumes, which have grown from 18 tons of dried medicinal herbs to 75 tons in 2010 over the past five years. This year, Kalina is starting the construction of an industrial building. It is planned that the facility will be commissioned by 2014, and along with it, the enterprise will have its own certified laboratory. This will allow it to supply medicinal raw materials to the domestic market and export products. According to preliminary estimates, the new facility will require about Br1 billion.

Kalina LLC is engaged in the cultivation and processing of medicinal plants and is the only enterprise in Belarus where medicinal products are manufactured in a closed cycle – from cultivation to packaging. Plants are harvested by hand, which is especially valued by pharmacists – about 90% of the manufactured products are purchased by Pharmacia enterprises, the rest by commercial wholesale buyers. According to Vladimir Murashko, companies from Germany, Poland, and the Baltic countries have shown interest in Kalina's products. Their representatives were satisfied with the quality of the raw materials and expressed interest in purchasing large batches. In terms of production volume, Kalina ranks second in the republic. This year, the enterprise has already procured 40 tons of dried medicinal products from chamomile, violet, oregano, calendula, sage, horsetail, and plantain. Production profitability exceeds 30%.

In total, there are 29 manufacturers of aromatic and medicinal herbs in Belarus. Currently, plant-based medicines account for about 40% of the total range of medicinal products. Experts note a steady trend of increasing consumption of phytopreparations in medical practice.-0-