DUSHANBE, January 6, 2015, Asia-Plus — Tajik customs officers have reportedly seized a large consignment of ferula at the Kokul border crossing point (BPC) on the Tajik-Afghan border in Khatlon province.
According to the Customs Service press center, Tajik national Rustam Sodiqov was going to illegally carry nearly five tons of ferula and 1,294 kilograms of ferula seeds to Afghanistan.
The Farkhor prosecutor’s office has instituted criminal proceedings and an investigation is under way.
We will recall that the Tajik authorities in 2013 imposed temporary ban on collection of ferula in order to restore areas under this plant. Only the companies that have special enterprises for processing ferula are engaged in collection of ferula. There are two such companies in Tajikistan – Faroz and Sarchashmai Javoni. The Committee for Environmental Protection reportedly made a contract with Faroz on cultivating ferula on 128,000 hectares and a contract with Sarchashmai Javoni on cultivating ferula on 45,000 hectares.
Ferula is a genus of about 170 species of flowering plants in the family Apiacease, mostly growing in arid climates. Several species of ferula grow in Tajikistan. One of species of ferula native to Iran and Central Asia is Asafoetida (Ferula assafoetida). It is an herbaceous perennial plant growing to 2 m tall, with stout, hollow, somewhat succulent stems 5-8 cm diameter at the base of the plant. Asafoetida has certain medicinal uses and most commonly is used as a digestive aid. It is reputed to lessen flatulence and is often added to lentil or eggplant dishes in small quantities. It is also said to be helpful in cases of asthma and bronchitis.
