Gradually form medicinal growing areas associated with building a consumption chain

In recent times, in addition to the initiative of the people, all levels and functional sectors in the province have paid attention to implementing many solutions to form and develop medicinal herb growing areas, aiming to build a chain of product consumption links, increasing people’s income.

Mrs. Lu Thi Luong, Dinh Lap commune, Dinh Lap district said: Having been propagated by the commune government about the benefits and value of medicinal plants, including amomum xanthioides, in 2018, I bought 500 plants to plant under the canopy of the pine forest. Taking advantage of the vacant land areas, since 2019, I have continued to expand the planting area. To date, the family has about 11,000 amomum xanthioides plants. The advantage of this plant is that it can be grown under the forest canopy, helping to increase economic value on the same land area and good growth ability. Currently, all amomum xanthioides plants have been harvested. In 2023, my family collected 1 quintal of fresh amomum xanthioides fruit. Besides, my family also prunes seedlings to sell to other growers, earning more than 10 million VND.

Currently, Dinh Lap is one of the major pharmaceutical development districts of the province. Mr. Nguyen Chien Hiep, Head of the Division of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dinh Lap district said: Previously, medicinal plants mainly grew naturally under forest canopy, realizing that there is potential for economic development from this crop, recently, the division has organized training on planting and caring techniques for farmers. At the same time, the division oriented people to expand the area and form a concentrated production area for medicinal plants. Currently, the whole district has about 230 hectares of medicinal plants including: amaryllis, amaryllis, yellow camellia… in communes: Bac Xa, Kien Moc, Binh Xa.

People in Ai Quoc commune, Loc Binh district take care of yellow camellia trees

 Not only Dinh Lap, currently, districts such as Huu Lung, Loc Binh, Bac Son… are also paying attention and propagandizing people to expand the area for growing medicinal plants. Realizing that the demand for medicinal herbs in the country is very large, furthermore, medicinal plants grown under forest canopy make the most of the land area. In addition to the initiative of districts and specialized sectors in the province, solutions to develop medicinal plants have also been implemented.

Currently, the whole province has initially formed medicinal herb growing areas in the districts of Dinh Lap, Loc Binh, Bac Son, Van Lang with a total area of over 780 hectares with main types such as: amomum xanthioides, Morinda officinalis, yellow flower camellia, sand ginseng…

Specifically, propaganda and training are focused on by specialized sectors. Accordingly, in 2023,  The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed relevant units to coordinate and organize 470 propaganda conferences and integrated training on the development of medicinal plants with diverse propaganda forms such as mobile propaganda, coordinating news and articles through loudspeaker systems, distributing leaflets, and propagandizing on social networks with over 32,000 participants.

In addition, relevant functional sectors coordinate research and apply and transfer science and technology. Typically in 2021, the Provincial Forest Protection Sub-department successfully researched the process of propagating purple amomum xanthioides using the bud separation method and developed documents guiding conservation and intensive farming. From that result, the sub-department has applied it into practice by implementing two models of growing purple amomum xanthioides using the split-bud propagation method in a 100m2 greenhouse and planting under a forest canopy on a scale of 1,000m2 in Dinh Lap commune, Dinh Lap district. Accordingly, purple amomum xanthioides plants planted with debudded seedlings in the above models developed very well, initially producing 2 crops/year. From that result, the sub-department organized propaganda and guidance for people in Dinh Lap district to continue replicating the model. This is the premise to preserve and develop genetic resources of medicinal plants in the province, promising to be economically effective plants. In 2023, functional units in the province are continuing to implement research and development projects on a number of rare and valuable medicinal herbs such as: Eleutherococcus trifoliatus, Ardisia silvestris, Codonopsis pilosula, purple Morinda officinalis, Stephania, Tuber fleeceflower, Polygonatum cyrtonemua, nervilia fordii…

In addition, departments, sectors, and People’s Committees of districts and city are also interested in proposing projects to grow medicinal plants in the area. Specifically, from the beginning of 2023 until now, departments, sectors, and People’s Committees of districts and city have organized the appraisal of 3 projects  of growing medicinal herbs under forest canopy with a total scale of 1,200 hectares, issued 1 investment registration certificate for preliminary processing of agricultural products and medicinal plants (Trang Dinh district), guided the order and investment procedures for a company investing in a project to grow precious medicinal plants and build a medicine and cosmetics factory (Loc Binh district)…

From the solutions of the professional industry and the initiative of the people, up to now, the whole province has initially formed medicinal herb growing areas in the following districts: Dinh Lap, Loc Binh, Bac Son, Van Lang with a total area of over 780 hectares with main types such as: Amomum, Morinda officinalis, yellow flower camellia, sand ginseng… Although there are no specific statistics from the functional sector, through research from the Division of Agriculture and Rural Development of districts and some households growing medicinal herbs, the economic value of medicinal plants is quite high. Specifically, fresh amosa fruit costs 60 to 70 thousand VND/kg; Dried ginseng sand grains are about 600 thousand VND/kg; Fresh yellow flower tea is about 600 thousand VND/kg; Dried yellow flower tea costs from 4 to 5 million VND/kg…

Thereby, creating a premise for applying science and technology to production, forming product consumption links. Currently, the province has initially formed a pharmaceutical production link between businesses and households in Van Lang and Bac Son districts.

Mr. Pham Trung Kien, Director of Kim Son Pharmaceutical Import-Export Company Limited (Bac Son district) said: Realizing that the market demand for using products from medicinal plants is very high and the desire to limit massive exploitation and preserve precious genetic resources, in 2019, the company cooperated with 5 households in 2 communes Hung Vu and Tran Yen, Bac Son district to test plant 5 hectares of medicinal plants including types such as: Japanese knotweed, ginseng sand, gurmar… After 1 year, the plants grew well and the company continued to expand the association of growing the above medicinal herbs in the district with a total area of about 62 hectares, with 100 households participating. Accordingly, the company supports training in techniques for growing and caring for medicinal plants for people, supports fertilizers in the form of deductions, and signs product offtake contracts. On average, each year, the harvest output is from 300 to 400 tons of dry medicinal herbs, with revenue of over 10 billion VND.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung, Director of the Provincial Forest Protection Sub-Department said: In the coming time, to develop medicinal plant cultivation in a sustainable manner, creating stable income for farmers, we continue to coordinate with relevant units to promote propaganda and technical guidance on planting and caring for medicinal plants under the forest canopy. At the same time, we advised the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to support and guide the establishment of production and product consumption chains between businesses and households, cooperatives, medicinal herb growing cooperatives and encouraged businesses to invest in factories to process medicinal products.

Expanding the area and developing medicinal growing areas, forming production chains, ensuring output for products is important, creating stable income for people, at the same time, contributing to implementing the “take short-term to build long-term” plan to develop sustainable forestry in the province.