Currently, each year, the Lai Chau Mountain Ginseng Conservation and Development Cooperative in Giang Ma commune, Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province collects tons of products, some of which are sold to customers at a price of over 40 million VND/kg.
Close-up of the precious ginseng growing area of Lai Chau Mountain Ginseng Conservation and Development Cooperative in Giang Ma commune, Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province.
As someone who has been associated with Lai Chau ginseng for decades, Dr. Pham Quang Tuyen, an officer of the Institute of Forestry Research under the Vietnam Forestry Science Institute, said that during his research on Lai Chau ginseng, he was assigned by the Lai Chau Department of Science and Technology to conduct a research project and investigate rare medicinal plants in the Muong Te area.
Accordingly, he accidentally discovered a medicinal plant that people called black ginseng, later also known as Muong Te ginseng or Lai Chau ginseng. After that, he collected the initial genetic resources of Lai Chau ginseng and laid the first foundation to grow and develop this plant in Muong Te district. Up to now, the ginseng variety has been widely grown in 4 districts of the province including Tam Duong, Muong Te, Sin Ho and Phong Tho.
Gate to the conservation and development area of Lai Chau Mountain Ginseng in Giang Ma commune, Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province.
According to Mr. Tuyen, when analyzing the medicinal ingredients of Lai Chau ginseng, his research team basically found that there were ingredients similar to Ngoc Linh ginseng, especially the saponin content in Lai Chau ginseng 6 years old or older is very high, with some ginseng samples having up to 23 - 25% total saponin content.
Another special feature is that Lai Chau ginseng grows and develops very well, and is also diverse in gene sources and breeds, with many different types of morphology and characteristics.
After having in-depth research results on Lai Chau ginseng, Mr. Tuyen has accompanied the locality and people in Lai Chau to select disease-resistant seedlings with high medicinal content. Especially ginseng varieties that have both good growth and development ability and good disease resistance. At the same time, applying new technologies such as covering, saving water... to effectively care for Lai Chau ginseng under the forest canopy.
People in Giang Ma commune cover nets under the forest canopy to grow precious ginseng.
"Thanks to the support of experts and technical staff from the Institute of Silviculture Research under the Vietnam Forestry Science Institute and Lai Chau province, up to now, Lai Chau Mountain Ginseng Conservation and Development Cooperative has successfully grown 3 hectares of ginseng according to organic standards. On average, each year the unit harvests about 100kg to 200kg of tubers, over 1 ton of leaves... with an average selling price of about 40 million to 60 million VND/kg of ginseng tubers over 7 years old, depending on the stage", Mr. Tuyen affirmed.
"In the near future, the cooperative will continue to cooperate with local people to expand the ginseng area to about 100 hectares and aim to provide products to domestic medicinal processing enterprises for export," Dr. Tuyen further revealed.
The nursery beds for growing precious ginseng varieties placed under the canopy of ancient forests are growing very well.
According to Mr. Tuyen, in 2024, despite the harsh weather and many gardeners suffering heavy losses, the ginseng growing area at the Lai Chau Mountain Ginseng Conservation and Development Cooperative in Giang Ma commune still grew and developed well.
Lai Chau Mountain Ginseng Conservation and Development Cooperative installs a modern irrigation system to care for precious ginseng.
Ginseng is numbered, seeded and planted very methodically.
People harvest Lai Chau ginseng to sell to customers.
According to Mr. Tuyen, Lai Chau ginseng over 7 years old costs about 40 to 60 million VND/kg of root. However, to suit the market and stimulate consumption, the unit and people have agreed to set the price of ginseng at about 40 million VND/kg.
Close-up of Lai Chau ginseng roots over 7 years old at Lai Chau Mountain Ginseng Conservation and Development Cooperative. According to Mr. Tuyen, the total Saponin content of 1kg of Lai Chau ginseng is 4-5 times higher than that of Korean ginseng. Although the current yield is only about 2 tons/ha, lower than Korea's 6 tons/ha, if Vietnam achieves only half the yield, the value from processing medicinal herbs can be double thanks to the advantage of high medicinal content and lower labor costs.
After harvesting, Lai Chau ginseng roots will be processed and classified for sale to customers.
Source: https://danviet.vn/cay-duoc-lieu-duoc-nguoi-dan-tay-bac-giau-ky-trong-rung-thu-duoc-ca-cu-than-la-ban-den-tren-40-trieu-dong-kg-20250216123122573.htm
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