A Meeting on the Dissemination of Herbal Production for Medicinal and Aromatic Purposes In Kahramanmaraş was Held
The strategy determination meeting for the dissemination of herbal production for medicinal and aromatic purposes with high value added in Kahramanmaraş, within the scope of localization of the pharmaceutical sub-industry, organized by ASEAD, was held online on Friday, July 5, 2024.
The meeting was moderated by Prof. Dr. İbrahim ÖRNEK, President of ASEAD. Attendees were Dr. Pharm. Levent ALPARSLAN, General Manager of the Gebze-based Lukbotanik Company, Prof. Dr. Şengül KARAMAN, Head of Division of Botany in the Department of Biology at Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bekir Bülent ARPACI at the Division of Vegetable Growing and Breeding in the Department of Horticulture at Kilis 7 Aralik University and Clnk. Pharm. Betül ZABUN KENGER, President of the TOBB Kahramanmaraş Women Entrepreneurs Board.
In his opening speech, Prof. ÖRNEK thanked all participants for their participation in such a meeting, which they are organizing for the second time specifically for Kahramanmaraş and its region, regarding the localization of the pharmaceutical sub-industry. Stating that they held the first meeting in a face-to-face format with the machinery and equipment manufacturers, industry representatives and potential investors in Kahramanmaraş on May 27, 2024, with the participation of Mr. Murat BÖRÜ from Abdi İbrahim Pharmaceuticals (news link). Prof. ÖRNEK stated that they organized this meeting with greater excitement after the first meeting where good cooperation opportunities were created.
Dr. Pharm. Levent ALPARSLAN said that as a company operating in the TUBITAK MAM Technology Free Zone, they supply the extracts that they obtain with supercritical fluid CO2 extraction technology without consuming water and without going to high temperatures to pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food supplement companies, and that they value to local collaborations in the supply of raw materials. He stated that they would be happy to form a consortium with producers regarding the plants produced or have potential in Kahramanmaraş.
Prof. Dr. Şengül KARAMAN stated that she has been continuing her academic activities at KSÜ Department of Biology for 24 years, currently working on herbal medicines for lung cancer, and making analyses and production of active ingredients and analyses in her own laboratory; that it is important to use regional plants such as hot pepper, lemon balm, cumin, thyme, tamarind and valerian for medicine, cosmetics and food supplements, and that she is open to collaborations for this purpose.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bekir Bülent ARPACI stated that he specialized on pepper breeding and that Turkey produces 3 million tons of pepper annually and ranks 3rd in the world with this amount. Dr. ARPACI said that the peppers produced in Türkiye do not contain enough active ingredients, especially for the pharmaceutical industry, but the level of active ingredients needed by the pharmaceutical industry can be achieved by transferring foreign genes with high active ingredient levels to local genes; for this purpose. Dr. ARPACI also stated that they are ready to cooperate with such a consortium in the TUBITAK projects or different formats.
Pharm. Betül ZABUN KENGER stated that Kahramanmaraş Women Entrepreneurs Board and the members of the Farmer Women Academy within this Board are ready to do their part in increasing herbal production in the region for use in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food supplement sectors, especially plants such as thyme, which are indigenous to the region and unknown in other regions. He also said that they attach importance to such collaborations in reaching the market.
In his closing speech Prof. ÖRNEK thanked all participants, saying that they believed that this meeting, which was organized to increase herbal production for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food supplement sectors, would lead to good cooperation.