Developing supply chains in the medicinal plant industry: A strategic direction.

The formation of a supply chain linking farmers, businesses, research institutes, and the market helps to ensure transparency of origin, control product quality, open up opportunities to conquer markets, and enhance the economic value of medicinal herbs.

Medicinal herbs from land to sea

The western part of the province has the advantage of suitable land and climate for developing many valuable medicinal plants. Meanwhile, the eastern coastal and island areas possess a rich marine ecosystem with great potential for research and exploitation of medicinal plants from seaweed, algae, soft coral, mollusks, etc., for use in medicine, cosmetics, functional foods, and pharmaceuticals.

Each ecosystem has its own advantages, and if exploited sustainably, it can generate significant economic value.

Minh Khanh Gia Lai Co., Ltd. cultivates reishi mushrooms under the forest canopy in Ia Phi commune. Photo: Nguyen Diep.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, from 2019 to the present, Gia Lai province has implemented 9 science and technology tasks (3 national-level tasks, 6 provincial-level tasks), along with 3 local-level tasks related to the development of medicinal plants.

In particular, the province collaborated with the Institute for Drug Testing in Ho Chi Minh City to conduct a pilot planting of 250 Ngoc Linh ginseng plants and 50 Thất Diệp Nhất Chi Hoa plants in the Kon Chư Răng Nature Reserve (Sơn Lang commune).

In addition, the province is also implementing research and application tasks of medicinal herbs in livestock farming to create clean, antibiotic-free products, meeting domestic and international demand.

According to Nguyen Van Hoan, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment: Scientific tasks on the development of medicinal plants have contributed to enriching the crop structure, gradually replacing low-economic-efficiency crops, and creating a foundation for the sustainable development of the medicinal plant industry, in line with the province's high-tech agricultural orientation.

By the end of July 2025, Gia Lai had over 1,008 hectares of medicinal plants, of which nearly 845 hectares were on agricultural land (including *Tinospora cordifolia*, turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, *Solanum nigrum*, *Salvia miltiorrhiza*, *Sacha Inchi*, *Morinda citrifolia*, *Gac fruit*, *Polygonum multiflorum*, etc.) and over 164 hectares were cultivated and conserved under the forest canopy (turmeric, ginger, *Amomum xanthioides*, etc.).

Recently, many businesses have applied scientific and technological advancements to production and consumption linkages, and deep processing of medicinal herbs, meeting Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, such as: Truong Sinh International Science Development Co., Ltd., Gia Lai Medicinal Herb Development Joint Stock Company, Dong Nam Gia Lai Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, and the medicinal herb factory in the Chu Pah commune industrial and handicraft cluster...

Truong Sinh International Science Development Co., Ltd. processes a wide variety of products from medicinal herbs. Photo: VT

Increasing value through supply chain integration and deep processing.

Mr. Dinh Van Cung, Chairman of the People's Committee of An Vinh commune, said: In October 2023, the community-based spoonwort planting project was implemented in Hamlet 2 (formerly An Dung commune).

This is the first medicinal plant cultivation model in the commune, covering 3 hectares, spearheaded by the An Dung General Agricultural and Forestry Services Cooperative, in partnership with Bidiphar Organic Medicinal Plants Company Limited. After more than a year of implementation, the Gymnema sylvestre plants have begun to yield harvests.

"The commune will expand this model to an additional 10 hectares of low-yield rice fields from 2026 onwards to increase people's income," Mr. Cung said.

Bidiphar Organic Medicinal Herbs Co., Ltd. has also developed 8 hectares of medicinal herbs in An Toan commune, with herbs such as Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Morinda officinalis, Polygonum multiflorum, Taraxacum officinale, and Rhus chinensis, and is preserving rare medicinal plants such as Smilax glabra and Dendrobium nobile.

The company has invested over 23.5 billion VND in raw material areas and a closed-loop processing system, from freeze dryers to modern extraction and packaging lines, aiming to standardize products for export, with an output of 250 tons of medicinal herbs per year.

Bidiphar Organic Medicinal Herbs Co., Ltd. is developing medicinal herbs in An Toan commune. Photo: Provided by the company.

Each year, Truong Sinh International Science Development Co., Ltd. (Tra Da Industrial Park, Pleiku Ward) uses approximately 15,000 tons of medicinal herbs to produce over 200 diverse products. It is also one of the pioneering enterprises in Central and Western Vietnam to achieve GMP-WHO standards in the production of traditional medicine and health supplements, while expanding into clean agriculture and aquaculture using medicinal herbs.

“This is a sustainable approach that helps enhance the value of medicinal products. We hope to cooperate with businesses that share the same ecosystem to maximize the advantages of the raw material area, produce and develop clean, sustainable products, and bring value to the community,” shared Deputy General Director Vo Thi Tuyet Ha.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hoan, in order to develop medicinal plants sustainably, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is conducting investigations, assessments, and conservation of valuable, native medicinal plant genetic resources, especially those at risk of decline or disappearance due to overexploitation; and conserving genetic resources and developing medicinal plants under the forest canopy sustainably.

In addition, the Department supports localities with potential for developing medicinal plants (Kbang, Mang Yang, Dak Doa, An Lao, Vinh Thanh, Hoai An, etc.) in accessing new technologies in the production, preliminary processing, and refining of medicinal plants; creating conditions for the development of appropriate, applicable, and feasible science and technology tasks. It also plans and develops concentrated medicinal plant growing areas along a sustainable value chain, linked to the "four stakeholders" model: the State - scientists - businesses - farmers.

In addition, apply tissue culture technology to propagate rare and valuable medicinal herbs such as Ngoc Linh ginseng, Panax notoginseng, Morinda officinalis, Cordyceps sinensis, Dendrobium nobile, and Gynostemma pentaphyllum. Strengthen research, exploitation, and development of marine medicinal herbs in coastal communes, wards, and islands, focusing on investigating and assessing the potential of medicinal herbs from marine organisms (seaweed, algae, soft corals, mollusks, etc.) that can be used in medicine, cosmetics, functional foods, and pharmaceuticals.

At the same time, the province will orient research, application, and transfer of scientific and technological advancements and standardize production, harvesting, processing, and preservation processes according to international standards (GACP-WHO, ISO, HACCP...).

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/phat-trien-chuoi-lien-ket-trong-nganh-duoc-lieu-huong-di-chien-luoc-post566153.html