ECER TARGETS TO PRODUCE OVER 600,000 TONNES OF HERBS BY 2020

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has the potential to
become a herbal hub in the Asia Pacific region with various strategic initiatives under the East Coast Economic Region (ECER).

In a statement here Monday, the ECER secretariat said the region, which was
rich in biodiversity and possessed a strong tradition of herbal medicine,
targeted to produce 625,000 tonnes of herbs by 2020, a sixfold increase over
that of 2005.

In 2005, ECER produced 80,560 tonnes of herbal products worth RM201
million.

The ECER said the estimated value of production would surge to RM1.875
billion by 2020.

"The total area of cultivated land will also rise from 2,014ha to 10,000ha
in the same period," it said.

The ECER said to spur development of the herbal industry, its masterplan
has identified four areas to be designated as herbal parks for cultivation,
processing and manufacturing purposes.

"The areas include the herbal and biotech product park in Gua Musang, a
herbal park in Lanchang, Temerloh, herbal garden in Raub and a herbal park in
Dungun.

"There will be also seven satellite farms of 20 hectares each," it
said.

The secretariat said the strategies for the herbal industry included
emphasising on research and development in priority areas such as the production
technology of both raw materials and end-products.

"Programmes will also be put in place to domesticate and cultivate valuable
species on a large-scale plantation with the use of biotechnology," it said.