New regulations on raising, growing and harvesting medicinal plants in forests

Quy định mới về nuôi, trồng, thu hoạch cây dược liệu trong rừng- Ảnh 1. — The Government issues new regulations on cultivating, growing, developing, and harvesting medicinal plants in special-use forests, protective forests, and production forests.

Decree 183/2025/ND-CP supplements Section 4a (after Section 4, Chapter II of Decree 156/2018/ND-CP) regulating the cultivation, development, and harvesting of medicinal plants in special-use forests, protective forests, and production forests. It clearly stipulates the form, method, and content of the plan for the cultivation, development, and harvesting of medicinal plants in the forest; the order and procedures for appraisal, approval, or adjustment of the plan for the cultivation, development, and harvesting of medicinal plants in the forest for forest owners that are organizations, households, individuals, and communities; and leasing of the forest environment for the cultivation, development, and harvesting of medicinal plants in the forest for forest owners that are organizations.

Cultivate, grow, develop and harvest medicinal plants in the forest to ensure maintenance of forest area and quality.

In principle, the cultivation, development and harvesting of medicinal plants in forests must ensure the maintenance of forest area, forest quality, natural succession and purpose of use of the forest; not lose the State's ownership of forests and natural resources above ground and underground and comply with the provisions of this Decree.

Medicinal plants grown and developed in forests with ecological characteristics suitable to the site conditions of the area, on the list of medicinal plants with high medical and economic value issued by the Minister of Health or other medicinal plants with high medical and economic value in the locality decided by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

Do not take advantage of medicinal plant cultivation and development activities to harvest natural medicinal plants in the forest; medicinal plant products after harvest must be transported out of the forest, and medicinal plants must not be soaked, incubated, dried, preserved or processed in the forest.

The management regime on exploitation, conditions, and granting of codes for establishments growing and cultivating medicinal plants of endangered, precious, and rare species in forests shall comply with the provisions of law on management of endangered, precious, and rare forest plants and animals and the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

In case the production forest is a planted forest invested by the forest owner himself, the forest owner himself decides on the cultivation, development, and harvesting of medicinal plants but is not allowed to change the purpose of use of the forest.

Forms of raising, growing, developing and harvesting medicinal plants in the forest

For special-use forests and protection forests , forest owners are organizations that can organize themselves or cooperate, associate or lease the forest environment to organizations and individuals to raise, grow, develop and harvest medicinal plants according to the provisions of this Decree and other relevant laws according to the plan for raising, growing, developing and harvesting medicinal plants approved by competent state agencies in accordance with the sustainable forest management plan.

Forest owners are communities, households and individuals who are allowed to self-organize or cooperate and associate with organizations and individuals to raise, grow, develop and harvest medicinal plants according to the provisions of this Decree and other relevant laws according to the plan for raising, growing, developing and harvesting medicinal plants approved by competent state agencies.

Do not raise, grow, or harvest medicinal plants in strictly protected areas, ecological restoration areas of national parks, nature reserves, species-habitat conservation areas; upstream protection forests with slopes of over 30 degrees, eroded coastal areas in windbreak, sandbreak, wave-break, and sea-encroachment protection forests. In case of raising, growing, developing and harvesting medicinal plants in upstream protection forests with a slope of over 30 degrees, the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment or the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level shall issue a written report with detailed assessment of the location and place where medicinal plants can be raised, grown and developed while still ensuring the safety and protection capacity of the forest (in terms of preventing flash floods, landslides, protecting water sources, protecting agricultural production) for the Chairman of the People's Committee at the provincial level to consider and approve before approving the plan for raising, growing, developing and harvesting medicinal plants according to the provisions of Point d, Clause 3, Article 32d and Point d, Clause 3, Article 32e of this Decree.

For production forests, which are natural forests and planted forests , the State is the representative owner. Forest owners are organizations that are allowed to self-organize or cooperate, joint venture, associate or lease the forest environment to organizations and individuals to raise, grow, develop and harvest medicinal plants according to the provisions of this Decree and other relevant laws according to the plan for raising, growing, developing and harvesting medicinal plants approved by competent state agencies in accordance with the sustainable forest management plan.

Forest owners are communities, households and individuals who are allowed to cooperate, joint venture or associate with organizations and individuals to raise, grow, develop and harvest medicinal plants according to the provisions of this Decree and other relevant laws according to the plan for raising, growing, developing and harvesting medicinal plants approved by competent state agencies.

Forest owners are communities, households, and individuals who organize the cultivation, development, and harvesting of medicinal plants and decide on the cultivation, development, and harvesting of medicinal plants according to the provisions of law. Forest owners are encouraged to be households, individuals, communities, or households and individuals who join together in groups to develop and implement plans for the cultivation, development, and harvesting of medicinal plants.

Methods of growing, developing, and harvesting medicinal plants in the forest

For special-use forests: scattered planting or planting in clumps to ensure even distribution across the forest plot; the total area for raising and growing medicinal plants does not exceed one-third of the forest plot area.

For protection forests and production forests: implement the combined forestry, agriculture and fishery production method as prescribed in Articles 25 and 30 of this Decree.

Forest owners or organizations and individuals renting forest environments to raise and grow medicinal plants may decide for themselves on the harvesting of medicinal plants from raising and growing in the forest according to the provisions of this Decree.

This Decree comes into force from August 15, 2025.

Snow Letter

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/quy-dinh-moi-ve-nuoi-trong-thu-hach-cay-duoc-lieu-trong-rung-102250701233251009.htm