Prospects for Medicinal Herbs Assessment of Market Potential for Selected Medicinal Herb Products • Valerian • Arnica • Skullcap • Echinacea • Goldenseal
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Prospects for medicinal herbs Assessment of market potential for selected medicinal herb products • Valerian • Arnica • Skullcap • Echinacea • Goldenseal A report for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation By Gee Yap, Australian Business Limited June 2006 RIRDC Publication No 06/084 RIRDC Project No ABN-2A © 2006 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 1 74151 347 2 ISSN 1440-6845 Assessment of market potential for selected medicinal herb products Publication No. 06/084 Project No. ABN-2A The views expressed and the conclusions reached in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of persons consulted. RIRDC shall not be responsible in any way whatsoever to any person who relies in whole or in part on the contents of this report. This publication is copyright. However, RIRDC encourages wide dissemination of its research, providing the Corporation is clearly acknowledged. For any other enquiries concerning reproduction, contact the Publications Manager on phone 02 6272 3186. Researcher Contact Details Gee Yap Australian Business Limited 140 Arthur Street, North Sydney NSW 2060 Phone: 02 9458 7667 Fax: 02 9955 8914 Email: [email protected] In submitting this report, the researcher has agreed to RIRDC publishing this material in its edited form. RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 2, 15 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6272 4819 Fax: 02 6272 5877 Email: [email protected]. Website: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Published in June 2006 Printed on environmentally friendly paper by Canprint ii Foreword Under RIRDC’s Essential Oils and Plant Extracts R&D program, significant investment has been made to assist growers to develop the necessary expertise to produce high quality medicinal herbs in Australia. However, the uptake of many medicinal herb species by growers remains slow despite strong global prices and the ability for some these herbs to grow successfully in Australia. This project aims to identify and confirm market opportunities for five medicinal herbs in Australia and other leading western markets. Discussion with leading industry stakeholders showed that the biggest challenge facing industry lies in the commercialisation of the herbs. Local growers have found it difficult to generate appropriate returns due a small domestic market for raw ingredients and strong competition from established suppliers in North America and Europe. This report complements other RIRDC publications as it attempts to address some of the challenges associated with introducing new medicinal herb species in Australia. If growers are to cultivate herbs such as echinacea, skullcap and goldenseal, there needs to be a greater focus on commercialisation to ensure a market exists and that growers can attain required returns. The report portrays the cultivation of medicinal herbs at a cross-road. The Australian market is too small to support an active industry which means that for growers to achieve any volume they will need to concentrate on overseas opportunities. The pursuit of such a strategy will require significant investment in the development of export capabilities among local growers. A second key challenge for growers is overcoming competition from established suppliers in Europe and North America as they are able to compete on price, quality and supply consistency. The report highlights the complexities associated with commercialising medicinal crops in Australia. For RIRDC is shows that there might is a need for commercialisation and marketing challenges to be incorporated in the “development” aspect of the RIRDC’s R&D Plan for essential oils and plant extracts. I am confident this report will generate constructive debate on future directions for the industry. This project was funded from RIRDC Core Funds which are provided by the Australian Government. This report, an addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 1500 research publications, forms part of our Essential Oils and Plant Extracts R&D program, which aims to support the growth of a profitable and sustainable essential oils and natural plant extracts industry in Australia. Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our website: • downloads at www.rirdc.gov.au/fullreports/index.html • purchases at www.rirdc.gov.au/eshop Peter O’Brien Managing Director iii Acknowledgments Australian Business Limited would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the people that took time of their busy schedule to contribute to this project. New crop identification plays an important part of industry development as growers need to be cultivating herb varieties that will yield the highest possible return. In addition, the information collected will also allow RIRDC to better deliver programs aimed at growing the Australian medicinal industry through new market development platforms. iv Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgments.................................................................................................................................. iv Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. vii What the report is about .................................................................................................................... vii Who is the report targeted at?............................................................................................................ vii Background ....................................................................................................................................... vii Objectives.......................................................................................................................................... vii Methods used..................................................................................................................................... vii Key Findings ..................................................................................................................................... vii Implications of the report’s findings ................................................................................................ viii 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Five Nominated Herbs ........................................................................................................... 2 1.1.1 Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) ......................................................................................... 2 1.1.2 Arnica (Arnica montana L.) ................................................................................................... 2 1.1.3 Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora L.) ....................................................................................... 2 1.1.4 Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia DC., E. pallida (Nutt) Nutt. E. purpurea (L) Moench.) .3 1.1.5 Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.).................................................................................... 3 2. Industry Overview............................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Essential Oils and Extracts............................................................................................................ 4 2.2 Potential Applications ................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Medicinal Herb Cultivation in Australia ....................................................................................... 5 2.4 Cost Structure and Supply Chain Analysis ................................................................................... 9 3. International Market Trends.............................................................................................................. 14 3.1 USA............................................................................................................................................. 14 3.1.1 Natural medicines in the US................................................................................................. 15 3.1.2 Industry Regulation.............................................................................................................. 16 3.1.3 Distribution........................................................................................................................... 16 3.1.4 Market Size .......................................................................................................................... 16 3.1.5 Forecasted Growth ............................................................................................................... 19 3.2 Germany ...................................................................................................................................... 22 3.2.1 Natural medicines in Germany............................................................................................. 22 3.2.2 Industry Regulation.............................................................................................................. 22 3.2.3 Distribution..........................................................................................................................