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This research was conducted in response to the Royal Initiative on Plant Genetic Conservation Project under the Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (RSPG). The objectives were to study and collect up-to-date information on the utilization of herbal plants at the community level in Eastern Thailand, to evaluate the economic value derived from the use of these herbal plants, and to analyze the market value chain (upstream–midstream–downstream) of herbal plants within local communities in the Eastern Region. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, collecting data through in-depth interviews with the chairpersons and members of three community groups: the Ban Tom Herbal Product Processing Group in Chonburi Province, the Phumjaia-nong Herbal Community Enterprise, and the Bio-resource Development Community Enterprise in Chanthaburi Province, as well as local entrepreneurs total 45 participants. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Market Price Method for economic valuation. The results revealed that the Ban Tom Herbal Product Processing Group in Chonburi identified 74 species of herbal plants, primarily used for household consumption (43.14%), followed by commercial sale (31.08%), and non-use (25.78%). The Phumjaia-nong Herbal Community Enterprise in Chanthaburi identified 211 species, with utilization for household consumption (43.60%), commercial sale (22.28%), and non-use (34.12%). The Bio-resource Development Community Enterprise in Chanthaburi identified 160 species, most of which were not utilized (59.37%), followed by household consumption (35.62%) and commercial sale (7.50%). The economic valuation showed that herbal plants in these Eastern communities generated an estimated utilization value of 555,460 baht per household per year, and a total net product value of 2,007,324 baht per year. These findings demonstrate the high potential of herbal plants to generate household income, enhance local economic value, and concretely reduce economic inequality at the grassroots level. The findings indicate that the Eastern Region still possesses many herbal plant resources that have not yet been fully utilized for economic purposes. Therefore, the government should promote the development of community-based herbal resource databases, support research and development of herbal products, enhance production standards, and strengthen linkages to commercial markets to increase value creation in the midstream and downstream segments of the value chain. In addition, herbal policies should be integrated with the Bioeconomy Concept and the BCG Economy Model to promote the sustainable use of biological resources, generate income for local communities, and support the continued development of the Grassroots Economy. |
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