Quang Nam improves value of Ngoc Linh ginseng

The Ngoc Linh ginseng (Panax vietnamensis, or Vietnamese ginseng) contains 52 saponin compounds helpful to health (Photo: VNA)

The central province of Quang Nam is expanding Ngoc Linh ginseng cultivation and developing tourism to improve the value of the precious herbal plant.

Under the government’s Ngoc Linh ginseng preservation and development project till 2030, Nam Tra My district 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 households taking part.

Secretary of the district Party Committee Le Thanh Hung said credit organisations have offered loans worth up to more than 100 billion VND (4.3 million USD) to farmers since 2015 in the effort.

The district received about 400 billion VND from the government to upgrade farming infrastructure and conduct studies to preserve original genes of the ginseng.

They also learned experience from Hamyang district, the Republic of Korea’s Gyeongsangnam province to develop Ngoc Linh ginseng trademark and bring to the world, as well as set up a Ngoc Linh ginseng cooperative.

Thanks to increasing prices, up to 75 – 100 million VND per kg, many farmers in the district have got rich.

Each year, the district 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 of enterprises also offer Ngoc Linh ginseng-derived products such as energy drinks, supplementary food, alcoholics, among others.

Since 2017, the district has organised monthly ginseng fairs to fight the sale of fake products. 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 Ngo ginseng garden in Tra Linh commune, which covers a total area of 85ha and sits at 1,800m above the sea level.

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

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

Ngoc Linh ginseng is one of the world’s most precious ginsengs. It has been approved as a national treasure under the Prime Minister’s Decision 787/QD-TTg.

VNA