Plants provide a source of speciality materials such as essential oils, pharmaceuticals, colourants, dyes, cosmetics, and biocides. Many aromatic plants are cultivated for such industrial uses, but the majority are still collected in the wild. Farmers can produce such crops because of the need for renewable sources of industrial products as well as the need to protect plant biodiversity. Plant production as a raw material for fine chemicals differs from ornamental or food crop cultivation. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the use of aromatic plants in various industries, as well as trends in the respective markets.
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