The medicinal cooperative does not waste anything.

THAI NGUYEN For Thien Phuc Cooperative, each part of Bo Chinh ginseng has its own value, if used, it will create many unique products.

THAI NGUYEN For Thien Phuc Cooperative, each part of Bo Chinh ginseng has its own value, if used, it will create many unique products.

Thien Phuc Agricultural and Medicinal Cooperative (Thien Phuc Cooperative) in Minh Lap commune, Dong Hy district (Thai Nguyen) is famous for its high-class foods and drinks combined with Bo Chinh ginseng such as: Panna cotta ginseng (ginseng dessert), ginseng hotpot, H'Mong chicken stewed with ginseng and products with ginseng ingredients such as ginseng powder, ginseng tea...

Products from livestock to medicinal herbs, which seem unrelated, are put into a closed circular agricultural cycle by Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, Director of Thien Phuc Cooperative, without wasting anything.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, Director of Thien Phuc Agricultural and Medicinal Cooperative. Photo: Quang Linh.

“Simply put, the chickens eat by-products from medicinal plants, and the chicken manure is fermented with microorganisms to make organic fertilizer for medicinal plants. Thanks to the closed process, the cooperative can take the initiative in the source of input materials, so there are no harmful substances, so consumers can feel secure,” Ms. Binh explained.

Because the products from cultivation and livestock farming are also related to ginseng, the female leader of Thien Phuc Cooperative is nicknamed “Binh ginseng” by the organic farming community in Thai Nguyen. Recently, Ms. Binh won the third prize nationwide and the second prize in the North at the Women's Entrepreneurship Competition with the theme "Women's creative startups and green transformation" 2024 organized by the Vietnam Women's Union.

According to Ms. Binh, in Dong Hy, people grow a lot of medicinal herbs. Previously, at the current location of Thien Phuc Cooperative, people gathered medicinal herbs to sell to traders. After many years of exploitation, the source of precious medicinal herbs is at risk of being exhausted, and the land is degrading due to lack of proper care and restoration.

"I established a medicinal herbs cooperative with the desire to connect and create stable output for my family and hometown," Ms. Binh shared.

Thien Phuc Cooperative's specialized growing area is about 30 hectares, mainly growing Bo Chinh ginseng, Cat Sam, Morinda officinalis and some other medicinal herbs. In particular, the Cooperative identifies processed products from Bo Chinh ginseng as its main product.

Sam Bo Chinh was first known in Quang Binh about 300 years ago, and is considered a precious folk medicine with rich nutritional content and special active ingredients, one of the precious products grown by ancient people to present to the king.

Thien Phuc Agricultural and Medicinal Plants Cooperative uses many devices and machines in farming. Photo: Quang Linh.

Bo Chinh ginseng roots contain many nutrients, are present in more than 20 folk remedies and can be used as raw materials to produce soft drinks, wine, and cosmetics.

The roots of the plant contain nutrients such as phytosterols, coumarins, fatty acids, organic acids, reducing sugars and uronic compounds, 11 amino acids, and 13 essential mineral elements for the body.

Mr. Nong Trong Son, a technician at Thien Phuc Cooperative, said that Bo Chinh ginseng will flower after 4 to 6 months of planting, and the tubers can be harvested after about a year and a half. If you use seeds for the next crop, you should leave the Bo Chinh ginseng garden for 2 years or more, then harvest the tubers.

“When we first planted, the cooperative had many concerns about the soil quality. However, when approaching, I found that Bo Chinh ginseng is very suitable for the local soil and climate. In particular, the use of organic fertilizer produced by the cooperative helps the plants grow quickly and evenly, reducing the cost of fertilization and labor because there are no pests or diseases,” said Mr. Son.

Since deciding to quit her job at Samsung Company to devote herself to Bo Chinh ginseng in Thai Nguyen, Ms. Binh has invested nearly 4 billion VND to develop the cooperative, of which 2 billion was borrowed from the bank, so currently there is a shortage of capital.

Therefore, the female leader of Thien Phuc Cooperative hopes that all levels and sectors will support the Cooperative to expand production. In particular, there should be a support mechanism and preferential loans for the Cooperative to invest in cold dryers, heat dryers and stewed chicken production lines.

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/hop-tac-xa-duoc-lieu-khong-bo-di-thu-gi-d403167.html