Investigation on supply and demand in medicinal plants market (Case study: Hamedan, Markazi and Lorestan provinces)

The existence of demand for medicinal plants is affected by different social and cultural factors. This study aimed to investigate the demand for medicinal plants in three neighboring provinces including Hamedan، Markazi and Lorestan provinces. This research was done by survey method. The necessary data for this study were collected by completion of questionnaire through direct interview from 96 sellers of medicinal plants in the study provinces، selected by random sampling method in the year 2011. The samples were selected by simple random sampling method using Cochran formula for unknown population size. The validity of questionnaire was confirmed by panel of experts. On the other hand، Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was found to be 0. 787، confirming the reliability of questionnaire. In this study، fluctuations of market demand through coefficient of variation (CV) and relationship between studied variables by using Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT) were investigated. Meanwhile، the ranking of effective factors on demand of medicinal plants was done using Friedman''s rank test. The results showed that the distillates had the highest demand with a share of 28. 8 percent in selected provinces among all kinds of medicinal plants. Friedman''s rank test indicated that price، ease of consumption and access to traditional medicine clinic were most important factors، affecting the demand of medicinal plants in the study provinces. The results also showed that despite the proximity of the provinces studied، no significant relationship was found for the market demand of medicinal plants in terms of quantity and value in the three provinces. The coefficient of variation revealed that the demand for medicinal plants in Lorestan province had more fluctuations as compared to Markazi and Hamedan provinces.