Developing medicinal herbs under the forest canopy

According to statistics, Phu Tho has more than 443 thousand hectares of forest, of which the natural forest area is more than 207 thousand hectares, with a forest cover of over 43%. This is an important resource for sustainable forest economic development. In particular, due to the terrain, natural forests in the province are mainly humid tropical forests, with climate and soil suitable for the growth and development of many precious medicinal herbs.

Identifying the development of medicinal herbs under the forest canopy as a "one capital, four profits" solution, while protecting forests, increasing forest cover, conserving biodiversity and creating a stable source of income for forest growers, in recent years, the province has had many mechanisms and policies to orient the medicinal herbs industry to develop sustainably.

Lac Son forest rangers coordinated with local authorities to propagate and mobilize people in Dai Dong commune to protect forests and develop medicinal herbs under the forest canopy to increase income.

In Phu Tho province (old), the Provincial People's Committee previously approved a list of medicinal herbs prioritized for development, and planned planting areas, conservation areas and nurseries to expand precious medicinal herbs. In particular, many precious medicinal herbs are identified as prioritized for development, including: Polyscias fruticosa, Betel nut, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Codonopsis pilosula, Amomum japonicus, Moringa oleifera, Basil... Mountainous and midland localities such as Tan Son, Thanh Son, Yen Lap, Lam Thao develop medicinal herbs under the forest canopy in combination with planted forests and natural forests, both protecting precious genetic resources and enhancing the economic value of forest land. Medicinal products are organized in a closed chain, from production, harvesting, processing to consumption.

In Hoa Binh province (old), the Provincial People's Committee has also issued a project to plan the development of medicinal plants in Hoa Binh province until 2025, with a vision to 2030. Planning forest areas and areas with natural medicinal plants to preserve endemic, indigenous, valuable, and highly endangered genetic resources for sustainable development in nature. Planning 4 nurseries to provide medicinal plant varieties for the need to grow and develop large-scale medicinal plants in Tan Lac, Lac Thuy, Yen Thuy and Lac Son areas. Planning and expanding the area of commercial medicinal plant growing areas to 15,000 hectares, with an output of 80,000 to 120,000 tons/year.

One of the clear evidences for the effectiveness of the medicinal plant model under the forest canopy is in Bao La commune. With a forest cover of over 66.7%, Bao La has favorable conditions for medicinal plants to grow naturally under the forest canopy. Realizing the great potential of indigenous medicinal plant resources, Ms. Ha Thi Le established the Huong Xuan Cooperative (HTX) to pioneer in building a medicinal plant growing area associated with processing. Based on traditional medicine knowledge and the advantage of abundant local raw materials, she has researched and restored many traditional herbal remedies. In particular, the Cooperative has successfully prepared Thanh Nganh tea extract with the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying, cooling the liver... In addition, the Cooperative has also developed many other types of medicinal plants, contributing to the conservation of precious medicinal plant genetic resources.

In addition to Huong Xuan Cooperative, in Buoc hamlet, Bao La commune, Mai Chau forest rangers coordinated with local people to plant Cat Sam trees on a trial basis under the forest canopy. After only 1 year, positive results were achieved, Cat Sam flowers, produces fruit for seeds, many trees begin to form tubers. After 3 years, the trees enter a stable harvest stage, with a yield of 12 - 20 tons of fresh tubers/ha, selling price from 80 - 100 thousand VND/kg. Cat Sam is a valuable medicinal plant, almost all of the stems and leaves can be harvested and used as medicine. Planting Cat Sam trees not only opens up a new direction for the economy under the forest canopy but also increases income, contributing to the development of the local economy.

Comrade Hoang Dinh Trang - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment said: Developing forestry trees, non-timber forest products, and medicinal plants grown under the forest canopy is an important orientation to increase the value of forest land use, while promoting indigenous knowledge of the community and local people.

To effectively exploit forest resources and promote the economic efficiency of medicinal plant models under the forest canopy, according to the Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment: In the coming time, the industry will advise the province to focus on developing an effective and sustainable form of combined agricultural and forestry production based on exploiting the potential and advantages of each region and locality, associated with effectively promoting indigenous knowledge to increase the added value from forests, creating many products and services, contributing to increasing economic value per unit of cultivated area. Prioritize resources to support households, cooperatives and enterprises to invest in growing medicinal plants with high economic value under the forest canopy. Focus on supporting seeds, materials, techniques, and cultivation processes according to good cultivation and harvesting practices, to ensure investment quality for the domestic and export markets. In particular, the province will invest resources in building concentrated medicinal material areas associated with factories and deep processing facilities with the aim of increasing the proportion of refined processing, from raw products to products with high added value such as functional foods and pharmaceuticals, stabilizing output and creating a brand for Phu Tho medicinal materials.

Dinh Hoa

Source: https://baophutho.vn/phat-trien-duoc-lieu-duoi-tan-rung-243008.htm