Intensive Programme 2007/08 : EURHORTICOLA : new approaches on horticultural training in the European Community - Development of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants [MAP].

Since the end of the 20th century, the European ma¬rkets and particularly the one of the North of Europe have a growing demand of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP). The consumers' interest for polifontional species has been a reality in growth. A same species or genera of this group of plants can possess a series of uses: to feed, perfume, ornamental, cosmetics and pharmaceutical. The growing search of products of natural origin as al¬ternative to the use of synthesis products easy to obtain but with a semi craft labour, it has constituted a hard incentive for the development of larger produced volumes and ma¬rketed of aromatic and medicinal plants as well as a de¬mand in new ways vegetables of bioactive products. These last ones they are used so much in the domain of the health as in other sectors where are used that respect the ambient like phytopharmaceutical products. There are literally hundreds of medicinal and aromatic plants used in European herbal industry. The French pharma¬copoeia, for example, lists 421 plants that it considers as va¬lued sources of herbal medicine. As a consequence, the safety and quality of herbal medicines have become increasingly im¬portant concerns for health authorities and public alike. One in each five patients consume medicinal plants, 60-70% of the patients don't reveal to the doctor / pharmacist because: consider natural product as innocuous and have fear. The figure 1 shows the increasing in the world market of products to the base of Plants. The largest market is Europe, being responsible for 38% of the world market. The European country with the largest consumption sli¬ce is Germany, being responsible for 50% of the European market, following for France, England and Italy. The trade is above all driven through Germany, where they are most of the great companies importers. In Europe more than 2000 species are used with com¬mercial ends; The species more cultivated are: lavender, pity-opium and fennel. The larger cultivations in CE: are in France, Hungary, Germany and Spain. In no CE countries the greater cultivations are in Bulgaria and Albania. European German companies, dominate the global medicinal and aromatic plant sector. There are about 20 major wholesalers of MAPs and seven agents. There is an increasing interest in organic certified MAPs and about half of the importers and wholesalers also deal in organic plant material *although the quantities are small compa¬red to conventional products. Only very few importers and processors deal only in organic MAPs and spices.