About the association

The Union of Exporters of Medicinal Plants, Food Products & Saffron of Iran was established in 1966 and is affiliated to the “Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines”. The objective of the union is to improve and develop the export of medicinal plants, gums, plant roots and agricultural seeds. The articles of association of the union have been prepared in 3 chapters and 37 articles. In the first chapter, the goals of the union, in the second chapter the terms of membership and in the third chapter the union organization are described. Based on the objectives set out in the Articles of Association, the Union pursues the followings:

• Maintaining and protecting the interests of union members and taking serious action to prevent unhealthy and harmful competition and factors that cause stagnation, hindrance of progress and crisis in the market of medicinal plants.
• Taking efforts to increase export of medicinal plants to all international markets by improving quality and packaging and fully implementing standard regulations and scientific and practical marketing.
• Cooperate with governmental organizations and acquire their support, especially the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Finance and Agriculture, the Iranian Institute of Standards and Industrial Research, the Export Development Organization of Iran and other relevant institutions to develop exports as much as possible.
• Cooperate and coordinate with the Chamber of Commerce in implementing business policies and communication with producers in order to shorten the hands of intermediaries and exchange views on improving the production situation and product collection.
• Provide practical suggestions to increase exports and try to remove all obstacles of exportation of these products in various ways.
• Try to provide loan and study the appropriate credits for packing workshops and exporters from different sources.
• Efforts to find the fastest and most economical way of domestic and international transportation.

The union currently has 314 registered members; more than a fifth of them are actively involved in the union. The Union's sources of income are from membership fees and arbitration fees. Other revenue sources to cover the expenses can be proposed and approved by Board of Directors of the Union.
The main activities of the Union are; providing services to members in the export sector, introducing foreign buyers to members, providing customs statistics, announcing directives of the Export Development Center of Iran, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and rangelands Organization and Standard Organization to members, publishing newsletters and solving exporters' problems.