Ngoc Linh ginseng seeds cost more than 240 million VND/kg, Chinese goods are only 2.3 million VND

In recent days, on the "online market", not only ginseng roots, ginseng leaves or ginseng flowers, but also Ngoc Linh ginseng seeds are being sold in large quantities.

Notably, Ngoc Linh ginseng seeds are being sold by many sources at only 2.6 million VND/kg with whole flowers and separate seeds at 2.3 million VND/kg. Some sources sell by seed at 3,000 VND/seed.

For example, a website specializing in seedlings in Hanoi advertises Ngoc Linh ginseng for sale by the seed, saying that customers who order a combo of 50 or 100 seeds will receive a free planting instruction book. A combo of 100 seeds will receive an additional 10 ginseng seeds. The selling price is 3,000 VND/seed.

Ngoc Linh ginseng seeds are being sold everywhere on social networks (Photo: NVCC)

To increase its reputation, this seedling site also posts pictures of famous ginseng growers in Quang Nam and Kon Tum . At the same time, it accepts nationwide shipping and emphasizes that wholesale customers will get more attractive prices.

Similarly, a contact named Dieu Linh, specializing in specialties of the Northwest highlands in Thanh Xuan (Hanoi), also continuously advertised Ngoc Linh ginseng seeds for sale at prices ranging from 2.3 to 2.6 million VND/kg depending on the type.

According to Ms. Linh, Ngoc Linh ginseng only produces seeds once a year. When ripe, this type of seed has a sweet and rich aroma. Therefore, ginseng seeds can be used to soak in wine, or the seeds can be planted to harvest the roots and leaves.

" It's harvest season so the seeds are ripe and red. Customers often order 1-2kg to soak in wine or make tea to drink," said Ms. Linh. Therefore, last week she received 3 shipments, about 40kg of ginseng seeds.

This is considered an incredibly cheap price, because Ngoc Linh ginseng seeds grown in Quang Nam or Kon Tum usually cost from 200-240 million VND/kg, sold by seed for up to 100,000 VND/seed.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tung - a medicinal herb dealer in Thuong Tin (Hanoi) - confirmed that Ngoc Linh ginseng seeds in Quang Nam and Kon Tum are extremely expensive and scarce, not cheap and in large quantities like those advertised on the "online market" today.

" The types of Ngoc Linh ginseng, ginseng leaves and ginseng seeds sold on social networks at cheap prices are mostly Ngoc Linh ginseng grown in China ," said Mr. Tung.

Chinese ginseng seeds cost only 3,000 VND, while Vietnamese Ngoc Linh ginseng seeds cost up to 100,000 VND/seed (Photo: NVCC).

Two years ago, Mr. Tung was invited by Chinese contacts to visit their ginseng growing area in Yunnan province. The garden is vast and densely planted, no different from the ginseng growing area in Ha Giang, Vietnam. In particular, they take care of the plants so that they grow quickly, so the ginseng roots are very plump and can be harvested after 2-3 years. There are many ginseng leaves, flowers and seeds.

This source of goods is offered for sale by agents and brought to the Vietnamese market for consumption in large quantities, because they are priced much cheaper than genuine Ngoc Linh ginseng, Mr. Tung emphasized.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Luc, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sam Sam Group, said that Ngoc Linh ginseng takes about 3-4 years to flower and bear fruit. When the season comes (July to September), each branch will have a flower. However, Ngoc Linh ginseng usually has only one branch, very few trees have 2-3 branches. Therefore, the amount of seeds collected is even less.

Therefore, households and businesses growing Ngoc Linh ginseng often wait for the tree to flower and bear fruit to exploit the seeds for breeding.

One flower can produce an average of 20 seeds, about 2,000 seeds for 1kg. In the market, the price of seeds is extremely expensive, up to 240 million VND/kg. Therefore, during the flowering season, people often use flower nets to protect the seeds for harvesting as seeds, he said.

At the recent seminar "Solutions to prevent and handle smuggled ginseng, protect Vietnamese ginseng growers ", local authorities admitted that Chinese ginseng roots, seeds, and seedlings are flooding into Vietnam to be sold at cheap prices.

(Source: Vietnamnet)

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