Step by step formation of pharmaceutical industry center

At the end of February 2025, the Prime Minister issued Decision 463/QD-TTg approving the construction of the Quang Nam medicinal herbs industry center, choosing Ngoc Linh ginseng as the main crop, aiming to create a large-scale, modern, closed facility from research, cultivation, deep processing to commercialization of medicinal herbs.

Unlocking Potential

Vietnam is one of the countries with rich medicinal resources, with more than 5,000 species of plants with medicinal uses. However, in recent times, the Vietnamese medicinal industry has not yet fully exploited its inherent potential; it has mainly stopped at crude exploitation, low added value, and has not created strong competitiveness in the international market.

According to the Ministry of Health , the Central Highlands coastal region has many valuable medicinal herbs with economic and medical value, with potential for cultivation and exploitation such as: Bach bo, Cau dang, Cau tich, Cot toai bo, Dang dinh, Day dau xuong, Ha thu o, Huyet giac, Ma tien, Men kinh, Sa nhan, Thien nien kien, Tram, Tho phuc linh, Binh voi, Ba kich... In particular, Ngoc Linh ginseng is known to everyone as a "National treasure", one of the most precious ginseng species in the world, found only in the Ngoc Linh mountain area of ​​Quang Nam and Kon Tum provinces.

Ngoc Linh ginseng is currently distributed in a narrow ecological area, around the top of Ngoc Linh mountain, under the canopy of primary forests in the territory of three districts: Nam Tra My (Quang Nam), Dak Glei and Tu Mo Rong ( Kon Tum ). In Quang Nam, ginseng has been transplanted to 7/10 communes in Nam Tra My district.

Currently, Nam Tra My district has completed procedures for leasing forest environments for growing Ngoc Linh ginseng, with a total area of ​​over 800 hectares; of which, there are 533 households with an area of ​​464 hectares; 18 companies and organizations rent forest environments for growing ginseng, with an area of ​​over 340 hectares, concentrated in Tra Linh, Tra Nam and Tra Cang communes.

In Kon Tum province, up to now, there are nearly 3,000 hectares of Ngoc Linh ginseng; of which, Tu Mo Rong district has 2,883 hectares with about 1,650 households, 30 household groups, production association groups and four enterprises growing Ngoc Linh ginseng. In addition, Kon Tum province is also implementing a Center for high-tech medicinal plant propagation, conservation and development in Tu Mo Rong district with a scale of about 60 hectares.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Nam Province Ho Quang Buu said that in the past, people mainly used Ngoc Linh ginseng to soak in wine or honey. In recent years, besides this product, Ngoc Linh ginseng has been processed into a number of other typical products such as: Ngoc Linh ginseng tea, Ngoc Linh ginseng flower wine. In addition, there are also ginseng candies, ginseng drinks, ginseng cream cookies, ginseng bird's nest, ginseng immune-boosting effervescent tablets, ginseng brown rice cakes, ginseng extract, etc.

In recent years, from Ngoc Linh ginseng raw materials, some businesses have invested in equipment and produced many types of products such as: candy, tea bags, functional foods...

All of these products are manufactured according to high-tech processes and are evaluated for quality, health effectiveness and safety such as health-supporting foods of Sam Sam Company Limited, Ngoc Linh ginseng tea bags of Hai Thuy enterprise...

Sam Sam Company Limited alone has built a factory in Tam Thang Industrial Park (Tam Ky city, Quang Nam), put into operation since 2020, bringing to the market 10 products processed from Ngoc Linh ginseng.

It is worth mentioning that, along with mobilizing people to expand the area of ​​Ngoc Linh ginseng cultivation, Nam Tra My district also focuses on trading goods and expanding the market for this type of ginseng. In particular, in addition to the monthly market and the annual ginseng festival, the district has a policy of supporting and calling on businesses and business households to participate in deep processing of Ngoc Linh ginseng products. Thanks to the support of the district, up to now, out of a total of 25 3-star and 4-star provincial OCOP products in Nam Tra My district, most of the products are made from Ngoc Linh ginseng as raw material.

Forming production and business chains

To turn the Government's policy into reality, recently, Quang Nam province coordinated with the Ministry of Health to organize a Conference to implement Decision No. 463/QD-TTg (dated February 28, 2025) of the Prime Minister on approving the Project "Developing and forming a medicinal plant industry center in Quang Nam province with Ngoc Linh ginseng as the main crop"; At the same time, the province has also planned to develop and form a medicinal plant industry center in Quang Nam province.

The main objective of the project is to synchronously develop medicinal material areas and processing, production, business, scientific research systems, etc. to gradually turn Quang Nam province into the center of the medicinal material industry of the whole country; promote the potential of the national product Ngoc Linh ginseng and medicinal materials with strengths in the area, contributing to the development of Vietnam's medicinal material industry into a commodity production industry with high economic value.

Quang Nam has been expanding Ngoc Linh ginseng growing areas.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province Ho Quang Buu said that with the task assigned by the Prime Minister, in the near future, Quang Nam will coordinate with provinces and cities in the central coastal region and the Central Highlands to develop and organize the implementation of solutions to link and coordinate the development of production chains, processing, and trading of medicinal herbs, medicinal products concentrated in the medicinal herb industrial center and related activities on medicinal herbs in the provinces and cities.

In particular, focusing on developing medicinal herb cultivation areas, including Ngoc Linh ginseng as the main crop and other medicinal herbs with strengths in the provinces: Quang Nam, Kon Tum... according to the Provincial Planning approved by the Prime Minister; focusing on developing areas, applying advanced quality management processes in cultivating Ngoc Linh ginseng, other medicinal herbs with strengths, grown on a large scale such as: Ba kich, Dang sam, purple cardamom... At the same time, developing networks, forming a chain linking cultivation, preliminary processing, and processing of medicinal herbs in Quang Nam province with neighboring provinces and cities and across the country; focusing on processing, deep processing in the medicinal herb industry center area in Quang Nam province...

Along with that, Quang Nam will strengthen research and application of modern technology to develop cultivation, processing, diversify products, promote the unique value of Ngoc Linh ginseng, contribute to building the brand, promote tourism of Quang Nam province; strengthen the implementation of domestic and foreign trade promotion and promotion activities in appropriate forms; support businesses in carrying out investment and trade promotion activities for medicinal products; develop and exploit cultural and tourism products and services associated with visiting medicinal growing areas, medicinal industrial parks and consuming medicinal products, aiming to create a combined economic sector based on a suitable cultural, landscape and herbal foundation.

Article and photos: TAN NGUYEN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tung-buoc-hinh-thanh-trung-tam-cong-nghiep-duoc-lieu-post884157.html