Quang Nam (VNA) – The central province of Quang Nam is expanding Ngoc Linh ginseng cultivationand developing tourism to improve the value of the precious herbal plant. 

Under the government’sNgoc Linh ginseng preservation and development project till 2030, Nam Tra Mydistrict has spread the growing model to seven out of ten communes since 2015.The ginseng material zone covers over 1,600ha with more than 1,200 householdstaking part.

Secretary of thedistrict Party Committee Le Thanh Hung said credit organisations have offeredloans worth up to more than 100 billion VND (4.3 million USD) to farmers since2015 in the effort.

The districtreceived about 400 billion VND from the government to upgrade farming infrastructureand conduct studies to preserve original genes of the ginseng.

It also learnedexperience from Hamyang district, the Republic of Korea’s Gyeongsangnamprovince to develop Ngoc Linh ginseng trademark and bring to the world, as wellas set up a Ngoc Linh ginseng cooperative.

Thanks toincreasing prices, up to 75 – 100 million VND per kg, many farmers in thedistrict have got rich.

Each year, thedistrict yields 5-7 tonnes of the ginseng valued at 300 – 400 billion VND,which is forecast to keep growing in the near future.

A number ofenterprises also offer Ngoc Linh ginseng-derived products such as energydrinks, supplementary food, alcoholics, among others.

Since 2017, thedistrict has organised monthly ginseng fairs to fight the sale of fakeproducts. A festival is also held each August to honour the product.

Early this year,the province allowed the district to put into operation Ngoc Linh – Tak Ngoginseng garden in Tra Linh commune, which covers a total area of 85ha and sitsat 1,800m above the sea level.

The Ngoc Linhginseng (Panax vietnamensis, or Vietnamese ginseng), a rare medical rootcontaining 52 saponin compounds helpful to health, was found on Ngoc LinhMountain on the boundary between Kon Tum and Quang Nam in the late 1960s.

Besides saponin, Ngoc Linh ginseng contains 17amino acids, 20 trace minerals and 0.1 percent of attar. The ginseng has higheffects in anti-stress and anti-aging conditions. It helps improve immunity,enhance liver function, and lower cholesterol. Besides, it also works well withantibiotics and diabetes medications.

Ngoc Linh ginseng is one of the world’s mostprecious ginsengs. It has been approved as a national treasure under the PrimeMinister’s Decision 787/QD-TTg.-VNA