When Ngoc Linh ginseng crosses the distance to return to Son La land
Speaking of Ngoc Linh ginseng, people often think of Quang Nam, Kon Tum - where precious ginseng is known as the "national treasure" that grows naturally. However, on the high mountain slopes of Chieng Mai commune (Chieng Chung commune, former Mai Son district), Son La province, Ngoc Linh ginseng has been and is rooting in success, opening a new direction for the medicinal herb industry in the Northwest region.
The initiator of this journey is Mr. Nguyen Chi Long - Director of Thanh Long Investment and Construction Co., Ltd. Nearly 20 years ago, from a nature-loving photographer, Mr. Long was attracted by the story of Ngoc Linh ginseng after a conversation with former comrades who fought in the Central Highlands. The story of veterans living long lives thanks to ginseng motivated him to learn and determined to bring this precious tree to the North.
Not a person in the agricultural industry, Mr. Long's journey started from scratch. He went himself to the Ngoc Linh mountains, staying for a whole month in the forest to learn how to grow and care for ginseng. After that, bringing seeds and plants back to Son La, Mr. Long experimented in many highland villages in the Sop Cop, Song Ma, Bac Yen, Thuan Chau and Mai Son areas.
Starting is not easy at all, ginseng plants are completely dependent on nature, requiring strict soil and climate conditions such as altitude over 1,600m, humus soil under the old forest canopy, year-round temperature below 25 degrees Celsius, stable humidity. There have been times when a series of ginseng seedlings just planted and then died, causing damage of billions of dong.
But Mr. Long was not discouraged. When he reached Sam Ta village (Chieng Chung commune, former Mai Son), at an altitude of over 2,000m, ginseng began to "familiarize with the land", growing well with a germination rate of over 90%. The ginseng growing area is currently planned into separate areas: Seedling area, young ginseng area, adult ginseng area. Seeds are sown directly under the forest canopy, completely without using chemicals or industrial fertilizers. From then on, ginseng continued to develop, for one year, two years and ginseng tubers began to form, opening a new stage for Ngoc Linh ginseng in Son La forest land.
Without forests, ginseng cannot survive. Therefore, bringing ginseng to plant in Sam Ta is also a way to change the thinking of doing business associated with forest protection of local people.
At the beginning of the project implementation, many people in the village were skeptical. Many people were afraid that ginseng would occupy traditional fields. But with persuasive methods, Mr. Long invited people to work as workers at the ginseng garden, with a stable income of 7 - 8 million VND per month. In the peak season, sometimes the whole village is mobilized to take care of ginseng.
“Previously, I only knew how to grow corn and cassava, with unstable incomes. Now that I have a job to take care of ginseng, I can both learn techniques and get a salary, and life is much less difficult,” Mr. Song A Trang, from Sam Ta village, shared.
From working as hired laborers, many households have now proactively applied for ginseng varieties to plant in their fields, creating satellites for the Ngoc Linh ginseng raw material area in Son La. Ginseng cultivation not only helps people have more livelihoods, but is also associated with the responsibility of forest protection and water source protection.
Scientific advances of Ngoc Linh Son La ginseng
After nearly 5 years of cultivation, Ngoc Linh ginseng in Son La has been officially recognized as a variety. In July 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a certificate of plant variety protection for Ngoc Linh Son La ginseng, with a protection period of 20 years. The Department of Crop Production allows the circulation of this ginseng variety in the northern provinces.
According to the test results of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Materials, 5-year-old Ngoc Linh ginseng at Sam Ta has an active ingredient content of Majonosid R2 reaching 5.74%, equivalent to the traditional Ngoc Linh ginseng region. In addition, the Ngoc Linh ginseng extract sample of Thanh Long Company analyzed by the Institute of Food Industry showed that there are 17 essential amino acids with high indices, especially Cystein and Lysine - compounds important for health.
Not only selling fresh ginseng roots, Thanh Long Company also processes a variety of ginseng products: Ginseng tea, ginseng wine, ginseng tea... These products have been certified OCOP 4 stars by Son La province and are completing dossiers to achieve OCOP 5 stars. In addition, they are also researching ginseng tea and coffee ginseng tea products.
Mr. Nguyen Chi Long shared: "I want to develop diverse products, dividing the weight so that everyone can access Ngoc Linh ginseng, not just aiming for rich people's products.
“Every year, the amount of ginseng harvested is about 5-6 quintals of fresh tubers, in 2025 it is estimated that about 1 ton of fresh tubers will be harvested, mainly to increase the sale of fresh ginseng and cao ginseng,” Mr. Long added.
Leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La province expressed: "We encourage the development of medicinal herbs under the forest canopy, especially Ngoc Linh ginseng. This is a direction to help people increase income, while protecting forests and preserving precious gene sources.
According to the plan, communes in the province strive to have about 50ha of medicinal plants planted by 2030, of which Ngoc Linh ginseng is a new crop that will be planted in some other locations such as: Bac Yen, Thuan Chau, Muong La areas... to expand the model.
Currently, many households in Sam Ta have proactively planted more ginseng to develop household economy. The story of ginseng cultivation is gradually changing farming habits, bringing people from farming corn and cassava to growing high-value medicinal herbs.
From "septic" to community product
Previously, Ngoc Linh ginseng was a "signature drug" of the Xo Dang people on the Central mountain peaks. Now, with the perseverance of people like Mr. Nguyen Chi Long, the precious ginseng tree has rooted in Son La, becoming an OCOP product of the province, contributing to poverty reduction, creating new livelihoods for people in the highlands; if the output increases, the price will be better and cheaper than it is now, helping Ngoc Linh ginseng to be a community product.
Ngoc Linh ginseng is only precious when shared and spread. Ginseng is not only for the rich, but an opportunity for the whole community to develop together" - Mr. Long emphasized.
Although there are still many difficulties ahead - from protecting the security of ginseng growing areas, maintaining quality, to building brands - the ginseng seeds that are sprouting on Sam Ta peak have opened a new door for the Northwest economy: Developing medicinal herbs associated with nature conservation and gradually increasing income for people.
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