Coveted Invasive Plant.
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We are currently taking advantage of the low water level in the reservoir to collect cayeput leaves and are contacting organizations that may be interested in the product.
Although absent from the business fair that will begin in Matanzas, the Zapata Swamp promises a new and exciting horizon with the first extractions of cayeput essential oil, from an invasive species highly useful in medicine and in the perfume and cosmetics industries.
According to Mariana del Rosario Pérez, deputy director of production at the Antonio Mauri Credit and Services Cooperative, located in Cuba’s largest wetland, the cooperative will soon be able to offer cayeput hydrosol, which, along with the plant’s essential oil, is not currently produced in the country.
Currently, del Rosario Pérez explained, they are taking advantage of the lower water level in the reservoir to harvest the cajeput leaves and are also coordinating with entities that may be interested in the product, such as perfumeries, the Ministry of Public Health, and the company Labiofam.
Globally, the largest importers of cajeput essential oils and hydrosol are Vietnam, the United States, and Malaysia; other important markets include Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.
Written by José Miguel Solís.
