The arduous journey to medicinal herbs
Ms. Nguyen Thi Bang, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of An Phuc Khang Medicinal Cooperative, Dak Ha Commune, Dak Glong District, has devoted all her heart to researching and producing products from medicinal plants.
Ms. Bang's journey began in 2016, when pepper plants that local people had painstakingly grown suddenly became infected, leading to a mass crop failure, causing damage to farmers.
In that situation, together with like-minded friends who are passionate about herbs, Ms. Bang decided to establish a cooperative, with the goal of converting the industrial crop growing model to medicinal herbs to support health.
“It was difficult at the beginning. We had to figure things out on our own, research the remedies, consult documents from many sources, and seek production experience in many places,” Ms. Bang recalled.
It is not easy when many people are not willing to share their secrets, but with her family's passion and tradition of practicing Oriental medicine, Ms. Bang has gradually collected valuable knowledge.
The cooperative was not only established as a production site. It has become a bridge between farmers and the market. The cooperative is currently the only unit in Dak Nong implementing this model, providing many precious medicinal herbs that are cared for, harvested and processed according to strict standards.
“Dak Nong has many natural medicinal plants. If we know how to take care of them, we will have an abundant source of raw materials,” Ms. Bang said proudly.
The cooperative currently has 24 members, associated with many companies and cooperatives nationwide to produce medicinal herbs such as: ginseng, ginseng and scorpion turmeric... Ms. Bang also said that about 80% of the cooperative's products are completely natural, bringing benefits to consumers.
An Phuc Khang Medicinal Herbs Cooperative currently owns 22 types of extracts, 7 types of essential oils, 5 types of tea, and 7 types of pills. The cooperative's average monthly revenue is nearly 1 billion VND. In the near future, the cooperative will supply raw materials to a large enterprise in Ho Chi Minh City, with an output of nearly 10 tons of medicinal herbs.
Unlocking local potential
In the stories of developing medicinal products, Ms. Bang still remembers the sleepless nights to learn about processing technology and improve production efficiency.
Ms. Bang shared that at first, the An Xoa and Gam Cao plants were purchased by the Cooperative to process the leaves and stems to sell to people for cooking, with the function of specializing in treating liver, gout and bones and joints. After a while, seeing the medicinal plants' effects, the Cooperative researched and cooked them into a Cao.
“To cook a batch of glue is a whole process. For every 100kg of fresh ingredients, it takes 50 hours to cook 3kg of glue,” Ms. Bang informed.
During all those years of research, the Cooperative only gave away products for patients to experience and use for free. Seeing the good signs, the Cooperative developed them into OCOP products.
Nearly 8 years have passed, Ms. Bang and the cooperative have invested nearly 3 billion VND in modern machinery to process medicinal herbs. The cooperative built a factory, bought a dryer, an essential oil separator, a powder grinder, a glue cooking machine...
Modern equipment not only improves product quality but also helps the cooperative build its brand and reputation in the market.
“We want to build a strong medicinal brand for the locality and affirm the value of the products of the people in the region,” Ms. Bang emphasized.
By 2023, An Xoa tea and Gam tea of An Phuc Khang Medicinal Cooperative will meet 3-star OCOP standards. The Cooperative is completing OCOP registration documents for 3 new medicinal products: scorpion turmeric, turmeric essential oil and lingzhi mushroom.
In recent times, the Dak Glong District People’s Committee has created favorable conditions for the cooperative to participate in many conferences and trade promotion programs to promote its products. At the same time, the district has encouraged the cooperative to expand its online sales channels, helping consumers easily access its products.
Secretary of the Dak Ha Commune Party Committee Nguyen Thi Que said: “Developing medicinal products from local raw materials is being actively encouraged by the locality. This success not only helps increase the economic value of crops, but also creates a new, unique product, contributing to the economic development of the area.”
Dak Glong currently has many favorable conditions for developing precious medicinal herbs under the forest canopy. The Dak Glong District Precious Medicinal Herbs Growing Area Project - under the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, 2021-2030 period is being implemented.
In Phase I (2021-2025) of the project, Dak Glong district cooperates with many units to develop medicinal herbs locally. The district implements the Dak Glong Precious Medicinal Herbs Growing Area Project.
In particular, the district cooperates with the Vietnam Institute for Research and Development of Traditional Medicine, the Vietnam Institute for Research and Development of Ngoc Linh Ginseng; 5 companies specializing in the distribution and import-export of pharmaceutical products and medicinal herbs; other companies with potential in capital, land and labor; 5 cooperatives in the area; 2 community forest management boards... to grow and produce medicinal herbs. The leader of the cooperation is Dak Glong Medicinal Herbs Joint Stock Company.
With the cooperation of many scientists, businesses, and diversity in the chain, the Dak Glong Precious Medicinal Herbs Growing Area Project will have many opportunities for development. From here, it will create productivity efficiency and create high economic value.
The story of Gao Gam Tea and Gao An Xoa Tea shows that it is not just a product, but a long journey. A journey from difficulties and challenges to dreams becoming reality.
Ms. Bang and An Phuc Khang Medicinal Herbs Cooperative are contributing to opening up opportunities and values for the community and the entire Dak Nong medicinal herbs industry.
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/ba-nguyen-thi-bang-khoi-nguon-tiem-nang-duoc-lieu-o-dak-glong-230502.html
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