In the past year, people in Herzegovina have been clearing vineyards and looking for more space to sow immortelle and lavender, because manufacturers recognized a chance for fast earnings in the growing of these cultures which are mostly placed to USA.
Only in the Trebinje area more than 50 plantations are sown in immortelle and the production of medicinal herbs is also expanding in the municipalities of Bileća and Ljubinje.
Manufacturers say that immortelle is a plant which is becoming extinct in nature and that oil of this plant is more and more demanded every day. Price of immortelle amounting to four BAM per kilogram is increasingly appealing.
Pioneer in this new trend of agricultural production is the enterprise “LJbilje” from Ljubinje which launched the initiative of plantation cultivation of medicinal herbs more than ten years ago. This enterprise also produces planting materials, possesses its own plantations, and gathers around 100 subcontractors in the country and the region.
This enterprise was the first to launch this business in the Balkans and they are the only registered manufacturers of planting materials in the area.
In its plant in Bileća, “Ljbilje” produces around one hundred sorts of tea and scented lavender bags, while the production of planting material, distillation and production of herbal extracts are being conducted in plants in Ljubinje. They also announce a new line of cosmetic and spa products made of herbs characteristic of Herzegovina.
Apart from immortelle, on its own plantations this enterprise also cultivates other medicinal herbs with an emphasis on those recognizable as the “brand” of the Herzegovina area: heather, sage, thyme and rosemary.
They export over 80 percent of products to the countries in the region, Canada, Australia, USA, and they also expect a market in Russia.
Individual agricultural producers also recognized a chance for fast earnings in cultivation of immortelle. They are clearing their vineyards in order to plant these plants.
One of them is Miro Gredo, a novice in business, but he expects earnings amounting to 4.000 BAM for only 6.000 immortelle plants, after three years of investing efforts and working around this plant.
The largest producer of immortelle in east Herzegovina is Radovan Anđelić, director of the company “Anđelić”, who says that there is currently great demand for immortelle. He believes that there might come to the glut on the market, and in that case the small manufacturers would suffer damage.
Anđelić planted two hectares of immortelle on one parcel, expecting around 200.000 BAM of earnings from that parcel only. In addition to that parcel, he also possesses two more parcels planted with immortelle.
Immortelle from Herzegovina is considered one of the best in the world and is widely used in cosmetics.
(Source: klix.ba/photo: njuskalo.hr)
