The current demand for numerous popular plant species used for indigenous medicines exceeds supply. To date, several plant species, such as wild ginger (Siphonochilus aethiopicus) and the pepper-bark tree (Warburgia salutaris) have become extinct outside of protected areas in KwaZulu-Natal. The declining supply of indigenous medicinal plants is likely to generate significant economic and welfare losses considering that there are some 27 million indigenous medicine consumers in South Africa and a large supporting industry. As a result of the declining supply of medicinal plants and the localized extinctions that have occurred, it was recommended the cultivation of indigenous medicinal plants. However there has been little response to these recommendations and/or to increases in market prices. Consequently, a research project was initiated by the Institute of Natural Resources to investigate the economic feasibility of cultivating high value medicinal plants for local medicinal markets, with a focus on the cultivation potential, production costs and marketing. This report covers the marketing aspect of the larger research project. The market study aims to describe the demand, supply, current marketing practices, potential and limitations within the medicinal plant market and makes recommendations for a wide range of decision-makers. The case study has had a spatial focus on the KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa, and specifically on Durban (a city with 4 million people). The province is an area of active plant harvesting, trade and consumption, with Durban forming the hub of the regional plant trade.

Type of Case
Printed publication (book, sourcebook, journal article…)

Publisher
FAO

Region
Africa

Biome
Tropical

Forest Type
Planted forest

Primary Designated Function
Production