Quang Nam to urgently complete project on developing Ngoc Linh ginseng

Precious medicinal plant of Quang Nam people

The Ngoc Linh ginseng is a particularly rare and precious medicinal plant with high economic value that is being preserved and developed by local people in mountainous areas of Quang Nam and Kon Tum provinces.

Considered the ginseng capital on Ngoc Linh peak, the Xo Dang ethnic group in Tra Linh, Tra Nam, Tra Cang communes of Nam Tra My District, Quang Nam Province are benefiting greatly from Ngoc Linh ginseng, and many households have become rich from the medicinal plant.

Ngoc Linh ginseng is a precious product of the Xo Dang ethnic group in Quang Nam Province Photo: Lan Anh

In the past, the Xo Dang ethnic group lived in difficulties in stilt-houses built from bamboo and thatched roofs, on mountainsides and hilltops. Since ancient times, they “hid” Ngoc Linh ginseng to use it secretely when they were sick. That’s why it was called the “hidden medicinal plant.” The Ngoc Linh ginseng that grows in the old forests has been preserved for many generations.

Since the State sent scientists to learn about the uses of Ngoc Linh ginseng and found out that it is the most precious ginseng in the world, its value as well as the demand for the product have sharply increased. In the past decade, almost every household has grown ginseng in the forests, which has brought them prosperous lives.

As a key area for growing Ngoc Linh ginseng in Quang Nam Province, the authority of Nam Tra My District has planned a growing area of ​​over 15,000 hectares, with the participation of more than 1,500 households and 18 businesses. Currently, the original Ngoc Linh ginseng variety here is being actively preserved and developed to help local people quickly expand the growing areas.

Thanks to Ngoc Linh ginseng, the lives of the Xo Dang people in Ngoc Linh mountain have gradually improved; many ginseng growing models have spread strongly and changed traditional farming habits. Particularly in Tra Linh commune, Nam Tra My District, the number of poor households has decreased significantly over the past years, from 229 households in 2021 to only 88 households at the end of 2024.

Over the past time, Quang Nam province has proposed to build a National Ginseng program to outline specific plans and roadmaps for sustainable development of the Vietnamese ginseng sector, helping the Vietnamese ginseng brand to be competitive with Korean, American or North Korean ginseng brands.

Quang Nam focuses on solutions to promote and enhance the value of ginseng Photo: Quang Nam’s Portal

Ngoc Linh ginseng development project to be completed

Since 2017, when Ngoc Linh ginseng in Quang Nam Province was identified by the Government as a national product, the province has encouraged and supported varieties for ginseng growers. To date, the planned area for conservation and development of Ngoc Linh ginseng has been expanded to more than 15,000 hectares, mainly in Nam Tra My District. In addition, Quang Nam is also researching the transplanting of Ngoc Linh ginseng in some other localities with similar conditions to expand and develop the ginseng growing area.

In order to turn Ngoc Linh ginseng into a key crop, contributing to the socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas of the province and reaching the world market, on November 18, 2024, the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee issued a Resolution on strengthening the management, conservation and development of Ngoc Linh ginseng in the province until 2030, with a vision to 2035.

Specifically, by 2030, the production and supply area of ​​Ngoc Linh ginseng in Nam Tra My District and other transplanted areas in the province will be developed on a total area of ​​8,400 hectares to provide raw materials for the Center for Medicinal Materials Industry and serve processing and consumption in and outside the province. Each year, about 300 to 350 hectares are exploited, with a total output of about 100 tonnes of ginseng roots of 5 years old or older, while building original conservation areas and gardens to collect Ngoc Linh ginseng gene sources in these typical ecological regions. In the coming time, businesses will promote cooperation with domestic and foreign scientists to process Ngoc Linh ginseng according to a value chain.

Many products are made from Ngoc Linh ginseng - Photo: Lan Anh

Besides the localities, the Government also pays great attention to this valuable plant. Ngoc Linh ginseng is one of the five famous ginsengs in the world. All five types of ginseng, Ngoc Linh ginseng (Vietnam), Korean ginseng, Russian ginseng, Canadian ginseng and American ginseng, have high nutritional contents and are very good for health. Vietnam is a country with the potential to develop Ngoc Linh ginseng into a key economic sector, which can reach a commercial value of billions of USD per year in the near future. Ngoc Linh ginseng has been approved by the Prime Minister as a national product.

On December 31, 2024, the People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province submitted the Project “Developing and forming a Center for Medicinal Materials Industry in Quang Nam Province with Ngoc Linh Ginseng as the main crop” to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long for approval.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long requested the People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province to continue to complete this project.

The Government assigned the People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province to gather opinions and feedback from ministries and agencies, continue to review and complete the Project and draft, and submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision in February 2025.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long requested Quang Nam to present the project briefly and clearly, orient main contents, and assign specific tasks so that ministries and agencies can carry them out effectively after the project is approved.

Relevant enterprises, investors, organizations, and individuals are entitled to apply incentive mechanisms and policies to attract investment according to current regulations. In case of exceeding authority, the province proposes competent authorities to consider and make decisions, taking into account relevant programs and projects that have been approved to propose additional specific and preferential mechanisms and policies.