Deputy Gulsharkan Kultaeva raised a question about the number of species of wild medicinal plants whose collection is prohibited in Kyrgyzstan.
Almaz Musaev, representing the Ministry of Natural Resources, reported that currently there is a ban on 12 species of plants.
Kultaeva emphasized that in addition to restricting collection, it is also necessary to engage in the restoration and increase of these plants' populations. As an example, she mentioned the Aksy district, where the Aflatun onion—a wild medicinal plant—grows.
She noted that despite the introduction of the collection ban, scientific institutions are not sufficiently active in propagating and restoring this plant. Furthermore, the deputy raised the question of whether monitoring of the status of these plants is being conducted after the moratorium was introduced.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Mirbek Duyshiev responded that he does not have precise information on the Aflatun onion but added that the collection of plants that are endangered and included in the Red Book is prohibited based on the recommendations of the scientific community.
He also noted that the bill under consideration aims to preserve wild medicinal plants. The document provides for the possibility of cultivating them on agricultural lands, which will help reduce the pressure on natural populations.
"The essence of the law is that farmers can grow medicinal plants on their fields and harvest them without affecting the natural plants," Duyshiev explained.
Kultaeva believes that an integrated approach involving the forestry sector, agricultural structures, and scientific organizations is necessary for the effective conservation of wild plants. She emphasized that it is important not only to impose restrictions on collection but also to actively engage in restoring populations, as many of these plants possess valuable medicinal properties.
The law "On the Development of Agriculture" proposes to include provisions on selection and genetic methods of breeding agricultural crops, including the cultivation of medicinal plants such as valerian, calendula, sage, saffron, ferula, aconite, arnebia, Rhodiola rosea, licorice, sea buckthorn, rose hip, barberry, thyme, and chamomile.
