Developing medicinal plants helps reduce poverty sustainably

Thanks to growing medicinal plants, Cam Lo people have risen out of poverty and become sustainably rich.

Linking with production households to help people reduce poverty

According to the leader of Cam Lo District People's Committee, sustainable poverty reduction has become a top political task, aiming to improve people's quality of life. In recent times, the district has always paid attention to implementing the policies of the Party and the State and the direction of superiors on poverty reduction with many solutions and plans suitable to reality. By the end of 2022, the poverty rate in the district decreased from 10.98% (in 2015) to 2.82%, with no policy households falling back into poverty.

According to Mr. Le Phuc Nhat, a farmer in Cam Nghia commune, Cam Lo district, he grows 1.4 hectares of an xoa trees, and harvests 20 tons a year, bringing in an income of 240 million VND/year in the first year. After the initial investment phase, the following years bring higher income, specifically: income of 360 million VND/year 2, 480 million VND/year 3. In addition to medicinal products, he also has a nursery garden for tissue cultured acacia trees, bringing in an additional income of 240 million VND/year.

Ms. Le Hong Nhan - founder of An Xuan Organic Medicinal Herbs Company Limited next to the standard Solanum procumbens garden

As one of the pioneers in growing medicinal herbs, Ms. Le Hong Nhan - founder of An Xuan Organic Medicinal Herbs Company Limited (Cam Lo town, Cam Lo district) said that since 2015, her family has boldly converted more than 5 hectares of ineffective hilly land to grow Solanum procumbens, and by 2020, it had been converted into a company, developing Solanum procumbens planting interspersed with forest trees: cinnamon, sandalwood... Thanks to organic planting and care that meets GACP-WHO standards, it has achieved high efficiency, bringing in annual revenue of about 3.5 billion VND, creating jobs for 20 regular workers who are local people with an income of 6 million VND/month. In addition, technology has been transferred to a number of households in other areas and the Bru-Van Kieu ethnic minorities in Ban Chua village, Cam Tuyen commune, creating livelihoods for the people.

Another typical example is the Truong Son Medicinal Herbs Cooperative, which previously grew cassava and reeds ineffectively, switching to growing and processing medicinal herbs: Melaleuca oleracea, Melaleuca brevicorna... with a raw material area expanding to 30 hectares by 2023. The factory's production scale ^{is 3,000m2} , producing 3,600kg of various essential oils/year (Melaleuca 1,500kg, Lemongrass 1,500kg, Camphor 600kg...), 35,000 medicinal herb products/year (Massage oil 12,000 products, Wind oil 12,000 products, Medicinal shampoo 7,000 products...) with revenue in 2022 of 6.3 billion VND. The reason why the cooperative has a large scale is thanks to the association of growing raw materials with 300 households of Cam Thanh and Cam Thuy communes, creating jobs for local people with an income of 65 million VND/person/year...

Deputy Director of Truong Son Medicinal Herbs Cooperative Thai Thi Tieu Lan operates the production line of massage oil and Moc Son balm.

Affirming the strength of medicinal plants, developing into a medicinal plant center

In recent years, taking advantage of land, climate, and water resources, Cam Lo district has focused on converting many areas of forestry land and degraded land to grow medicinal plants. Growing medicinal plants not only compensates for more than 80% of raw materials and people's needs, but also serves for export. On the other hand, the economic efficiency of medicinal plants is many times higher than that of traditional agricultural products.

In 2022, the district expanded 14.2 hectares of an xoa trees, bringing the total area of an xoa in the district to 17.7 hectares; the average yield is 150 tons/ha, with some places with good development reaching a yield of 200 tons/ha. Pilot planting of 127.8 hectares of cinnamon trees. In addition, continue to direct the planting of new medicinal plants to assess the long-term development potential.

Mr. Le Phuc Nhat planted 1.4 hectares of an xoa trees out of a total an xoa tree area of 17.7 hectares in the district, bringing much higher economic efficiency than traditional agricultural products.

If in the past, the cultivation and processing of medicinal products only existed on a small and fragmented basis, now medicinal plants have become one of the main crops of the locality. Up to now, the area of medicinal plants in the district is over 200 hectares, some plants have high economic value such as: cinnamon, tea vang, Solanum procumbens, An xoa tree, purple Morinda officinalis, Polyscias fruticosa, red Polygonum multiflorum...

In 2023, focus on planning and investing in infrastructure for concentrated production areas, especially for medicinal plants, striving to build 1-2 model points to create a highlight for a new model rural district. Continue to direct the development of the Medicinal Plant Development Project; at the same time, continue to monitor the cinnamon planting pilot to have a basis for developing the Cinnamon Plant Development Project in the area. Strongly develop medicinal areas by expanding and improving the quality of existing medicinal plants and effective experimental medicinal plants; expand the area of Melaleuca cajuputi to 20 hectares; continue to search for new plants, strongly develop medicinal plants in an organic direction to gradually turn Cam Lo into the medicinal center of the province, create breakthroughs in development to increase production value, accelerate the development speed, contributing to increasing income for people.

Chairman of Cam Lo District People's Committee Tran Anh Tuan said: "It is expected that by 2025, Cam Lo district will plan a specialized medicinal plant growing area of 500 hectares, including: 100 hectares of vằng tea, 200 hectares of an xoa trees, 50 hectares of ca gai leo, 100 hectares of cajuput five-ribbed trees and 50 hectares of other medicinal plants.

The district aims to develop medicinal plants as a key direction, specializing in concentrated raw material production in the immediate future, about 200 hectares, supplying medicinal plant processing facilities in the area. The district's goal is to strive to become the medicinal plant center of Quang Tri province in the shortest time.

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