Telling the story of growing ginseng.
The majestic Ngoc Linh mountain range, shrouded in fog and cold rain year-round, boasts extensive natural forest cover, creating ideal conditions for the growth and development of precious medicinal plants, including Ngoc Linh ginseng.
Over the years, with the special attention of the Party committee, government, and businesses, and the efforts of the people, Tu Mo Rong has become known as the "capital" of the famous Ngoc Linh ginseng in Kon Tum .
Participating in ginseng cultivation on the Ngoc Linh mountain range, Mr. A Linh (Pu Ta village, Mang Ri commune, Tu Mo Rong district) said that every year after harvesting, people bring ginseng seeds into the old forest to sow. By March each year, the ginseng plants sprout and develop tubers. About 5 months later, the ginseng plants begin to grow well and can be transplanted under the forest canopy.
However, this time of year marks the beginning of the rainy season, making ginseng plants susceptible to root rot and death. Therefore, people have to wait until around October-November, when the weather is drier and the forest is no longer damp, before starting a new planting season. During the new planting season, groups of households will go into the forest together, carefully uprooting the ginseng plants that have been sown in the nursery. Then, they tie them into bundles with banana leaves and take them to plant in the prepared area.
When uprooting, do it gently, using your hands to protect the roots, and carefully pick up each plant. The seeds are sown very shallowly, so when uprooting, people only need to gently dig them out. After uprooting, the plants must be planted immediately. If uprooted seedlings are left for 2-3 days, they will weaken and die," Mr. A Linh said.
According to Mr. A Linh, when sowing seeds, the successful germination rate is only about 60-70%. When planted, the survival rate of seedlings continues to decrease each year, so from planting to harvesting, the survival rate is only 30-40%. Although it's called cultivated ginseng, in reality, the seedlings are sown from seeds and grown naturally in the forest. The planting process does not involve any pesticides or fertilizers during the plant's growth and development.
Mr. A Duc (Long Hy village, Mang Ri commune, Tu Mo Rong district) shared that Ngoc Linh ginseng only grows on the slopes of mountains, where it is often covered in fog. Previously, the Xo Dang people living at the foot of Ngoc Linh mountain called Ngoc Linh ginseng "the hidden medicine plant," a remedy that helped the local people cure many ailments. When seriously ill, bitten by snakes, or suffering from common ailments like stomach aches, villagers would often chew on the ginseng. The plant has a bitter taste and a fragrant aroma; however, after using it, everyone recovered and felt healthy.
Brand protection
According to statistics up to December 2024, the entire province had more than 2,900 hectares of Ngoc Linh ginseng; Tu Mo Rong district alone had about 2,883 hectares with approximately 1,650 households, 30 household groups, production cooperatives and 4 enterprises participating in ginseng cultivation.
The province has also established a high-tech applied medicinal plant breeding, conservation, and development center in Tu Mo Rong district, covering approximately 60 hectares. This center will provide a source of high-quality, standardized Ngoc Linh ginseng seedlings for planting and expanding cultivation areas in the period 2025-2030 and beyond.
Mr. Vo Trung Manh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tu Mo Rong district, said: "Over the past 5 years, Ngoc Linh ginseng has contributed to helping nearly 2,000 Xo Dang ethnic minority households escape poverty; helping hundreds of households become wealthy, with some households earning tens of billions of dong each year."
The worrying thing is that many types of roots and ginseng with a similar appearance to Ngoc Linh ginseng are currently on the market. This makes it difficult for consumers to identify and classify them, creating opportunities for unscrupulous individuals to commit fraud. In fact, there have been cases of selling fake Ngoc Linh ginseng using roots that look similar to Ngoc Linh ginseng, causing significant economic damage and harming the reputation of the Ngoc Linh ginseng brand.
At the seminar "Ngoc Linh Ginseng - Vietnamese Ginseng from a Historical, Scientific , and Practical Perspective," organized by the People's Committee of Tu Mo Rong District on December 10th in the ginseng growing area (Tu Tho village, Te Xang commune), Professor Nguyen Minh Duc (Faculty of Pharmacy - Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City) acknowledged that the widespread trade in counterfeit ginseng is causing economic damage as well as harming the image and reputation of Ngoc Linh ginseng. Furthermore, Vietnam's ginseng development strategy is not yet truly rigorous and scientific, creating difficulties and even limitations for the development of Vietnamese ginseng in general and Ngoc Linh ginseng in particular.
Professor Nguyen Minh Duc recommended the swift development of basic standards, national standards, and pharmacopoeia monographs suitable for each type of ginseng, especially the application of effective testing methods to differentiate between types of ginseng and determine their true value.
At the same time, strong measures must be applied to control the ginseng market, especially strengthening quality management to preserve the image and reputation of ginseng plants, for the sake of public health care and contributing to the country's economic development.
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/gin-giu-va-phat-trien-quoc-bao-sam-ngoc-linh-244173.html
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