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AHPA 2021-2023 Tonnage Survey Open for Producer Responses

May 6, 2024

Dear Valued Member of the Herbal Industry,
 
Primary suppliers of raw materials have a vested interest in ongoing sustainable harvest of plants in a manner that assures their use by generations to come. The American Herbal Products Association's Tonnage Survey is "a vital index of native U.S. botanical consumption" according to the Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior, and a key resource in support of this effort.
 
We invite you to play a crucial role in helping to grow our collective understanding of botanical supply chains and sustainable harvest of herbs through your completion of the 2021-2023 survey. 
 
As with our eight previous surveys, representing harvests for the years from 1997 through 2020,[1] the focus of the 2021-2023 survey includes select North American plants that are produced in part from wild–harvested populations. This survey identifies all the plants from earlier surveys; however the newest version of the survey includes additional non-native botanicals that are currently being cultivated in North America. The expanded survey includes 127 botanical commodities. Additionally, the survey has been modified to remove the fresh weight category and respondents are requested to report all poundage information in dried weight. This modification was made after review and discussion of the past 20+ years of data collection in an effort to reduce survey size and increase efficiency for survey takers and for survey analysis. 
 
We ask primary raw materials producers to follow the link below and participate in the survey by May 31, 2024 in order for your contributions to be included in the collective tally. Harvest information provided confidentially by individual companies will be tabulated and provide a powerful tool for industry. By working together in this manner, AHPA and the community of companies who are in the business of herbs can gain valuable information that helps us all plan for sustainable growth and stability. Simply put, if you are a primary raw material producer, your participation in this survey is essential.

We recommend that you complete this survey from a desktop or laptop computer rather than a smart phone or other device with a small screen, and the form should remain open on your browser until you are able to complete all parts and click the submit button. It is not possible to re-open a survey once submitted. 
 
Surveys may also be returned by mail or as an email attachment. Please make every effort to submit the survey by May 31, 2024. If you have any questions or require any assistance regarding this survey, or if you would like to submit the survey by email attachment or US mail, please contact Holly Chittum at 588-1171 x111 or hchittum@ahpa.org.
 
Additionally, for those who submit a survey with their tonnage data by May 31, 2024, be sure to contact Holly Chittum at 588-1171 x111 or hchittum@ahpa.org with your choice of one of the thank you gifts from this list:

  1. $200 off a new AHPA membership (non-members only)

  2. One (1) copy of Herbs of Commerce, 3rd Ed. 

  3. One 1-year subscription to the online Botanical Safety Handbook

  4. Your choice of one (1) item from the AHPA 40th anniversary merchandise shop

Finally, please notify us if you know of someone who should participate in this survey and may not have done so in the past. If you prefer, you may refer colleagues directly to the survey link.
 
Thank you! Your time and support is appreciated by AHPA and the herbal community of today and tomorrow.
 
Edward J. Fletcher
Chair, AHPA Botanical Raw Materials Committee
 
Holly K. Chittum
AHPA Project Scientist
 
[1] AHPA has published this data through 2017 and anticipates publication of the 2018-2020 report presently.

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