Determination of the current situation and marketing behavior of Diyarbakır central district herbalist

Medicinal and aromatic plants that grow spontaneously in the flora of our country, as well as in the world, are traditionally used by the public for treatment, food, tea, spices and cosmetic needs. This research was conducted through a face-to-face survey of 37 herbalists selling medicinal and aromatic plants in the four central districts of Diyarbakır (Kayapınar, Yenişehir, Sur, Bağlar). In the research, a survey consisting of 18 questions was used and descriptive statistics, which is often used in both social and natural sciences, was applied to the data. According to the results of the research, it was found that 86.5% and 13.5% of the operators who participated in the survey were women, 64.9% were 32 years and above and 56.8% were high school graduates in terms of education. . It was reported that 48.9% of the herbalists had trained and turned it into a profession and 54% reported that they obtained detailed information about plants from the internet and written sources. It can be seen that 78.4% of the businesses were established after 2002. 51.4% of the operators stated that they obtained the products from vendors-wholesalers, 62.1% of them sold the products in dry form and 29.7% of them stored the plants in bags. 62.2% of herbalists reported that consumers prefer medicinal plants for upper respiratory tract diseases. It can be seen that 43.3% of the operators have higher profit margins for plants with low raw material and labour costs, and 43.3% of them determine the selling price of the plants according to the market situation. It was found that the highest cost for business owners, other than product costs, was rent, and 70.3% of them did not engage in contract production. The most sold medicinal and aromatic plants were reported to be linden, thyme, sage, ginger, turmenic, fennel, cinnamon and green tea Keywords: Medicinal and aromatic plants, herbalism, contract production, market analysis