Tan Quang farmers grow moneywort, earning... hundreds of millions/ha

The medicinal herb *Kim Tien Thao* (Desmodium gyrans) is considered suitable for the soil and land conditions in Tan Quang commune (Ninh Giang).

High profits

The family of Mr. Vu Dinh Cuong in Doan Xa village, Tan Quang commune, has been growing the medicinal herb *Kim Tien Thao* (Centella asiatica) for the past two years. Mr. Cuong said that last year he experimented with growing this plant and found it easy to cultivate and highly profitable , so this year he expanded the area to 1 hectare. *Kim Tien Thao* is planted in January or February and harvested in June. The harvesting period lasts until October with three harvests, each spaced about two months apart. Harvesting *Kim Tien Thao* is simple; just cut, process, dry, package, and sell to a buyer. “Each year I harvest three times. The first harvest yields about 80 kg/sao (approximately 1000 square meters), the second 1-1.2 quintals/sao, and the third 1.3-1.4 quintals/sao. After deducting expenses, I can earn a profit of about 10 million VND/sao/year,” Mr. Cuong shared.

Officials from Hai Duong Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies Joint Stock Company inspect the growth and development of Centella asiatica plants in Tan Quang commune.

Seeing the success of Mr. Cuong's family's medicinal herb cultivation model, Ms. Le Thi Van's family also started growing Centella asiatica this year. Although they've only harvested one crop so far, she's already seen the benefits this crop brings. "We harvest three times a year. The first harvest covers the costs of tending the plants, preparing the land, and buying fertilizers and other supplies. The second and third harvests bring in profit. I find growing Centella asiatica not difficult, and the profit is 2-3 times higher than growing rice and some other crops in the area," Ms. Van said.

Continue to expand

Some local people came to learn about the model and plan to plant it in the near future.

In 2023, after conducting surveys in several localities, Hai Duong Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies Joint Stock Company decided to choose Tan Quang commune to implement the project "Building a model for growing some medicinal plants according to GACP - WHO standards to serve the production of medicines on an industrial scale in Hai Duong province".

According to Hai Duong Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies Joint Stock Company, the heavy metal content in the soil here is low, pesticide residues are almost non-existent, and pathogenic microorganisms in irrigation water samples are absent or low, creating favorable conditions for the growth and development of Centella asiatica, resulting in high-quality medicinal herbs. During the project implementation, the company provided 50% of the seeds, fertilizers, supplies, and technology transfer, and purchased all the products, giving the people peace of mind in production.

Several delegates from specialized agencies of Hai Duong province visited a model of cultivating Centella asiatica in Tan Quang commune.

As soon as the local company raised the issue, the Tan Quang Commune People's Committee assigned the Commune Farmers' Association to publicize and encourage farmers to participate in the project.

According to Mr. Vu Dinh Tuan, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Tan Quang commune, in the first year only one household participated, but in the second year, three households joined. The cultivated area also expanded from nearly 11,000 ^m² to over 18,000 ^m² . In reality, this crop is easy to grow and suitable for the local farming conditions, so in the future, the association will continue to promote and encourage farmers to expand the area planted with this crop. It could potentially be included as one of the main crops of the locality.

Given the benefits that the moneywort plant offers, some people in Tan Quang commune and some neighboring communes are now considering planting it. Mr. Le Dinh Loi from Xuan Tri village (Tan Quang) said: "After researching, I found that the plant is easy to grow, simple to harvest, and has high economic efficiency, so I also intend to learn from experience to plant it."