Growing medicinal plants - a new direction with high economic efficiency

Medicinal plants are identified as a new direction, bringing high economic value, contributing to increasing people's income. Many localities in the province have focused on building specialized areas for growing high-value medicinal plants such as honeysuckle, ginseng, Solanum procumbens, Achyranthes, Xanthium, Sophora flavescens and Dipsacus as replacements for ineffective crops.

Achyranthes bidentata helps many farmers in Thong Nhat commune (Hung Ha) get rich.

The medicinal plant production area in Song Lang commune (Vu Thu) of Mr. Dao Trong Huyen is a new direction in sustainable agricultural development. 3 hectares of honeysuckle and groundnut are in a good growth stage, promising to bring high economic efficiency. Mr. Huyen shared: Since the commune had a policy of converting ineffective land, leasing it to develop production, with available output sources, I have rented 10 hectares of rice fields, of which 3 hectares are for growing medicinal plants, creating stable jobs for 10 local idle agricultural workers with an income of 4.5 - 5 million VND/person/month.

Mr. Hoang Van Luu, Director of Song Lang Agricultural Service Cooperative, said: Mr. Huyen's medicinal plant growing model not only brings high economic efficiency but also solves the problem of converting small-scale production and households into concentrated, large-scale production areas, bringing machinery into production.

In Thong Nhat commune (Hung Ha), Achyranthes bidentata has become a “rich plant” for many farmers. This is a clear demonstration of the potential for sustainable development of medicinal plants in Thai Binh.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Director of the Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative, said: Growing medicinal plants is not too complicated and brings high income. This winter crop, the whole commune planted 90 hectares of Achyranthes bidentata, accounting for 44% of the winter crop area, 20 hectares of Sophora flavescens and some other vegetables. The cooperative also cooperates with pharmaceutical companies in Hanoi and Thai Binh to purchase products for farmers, helping them feel secure in production.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, An Mai village, Thong Nhat commune shared: My family has been growing 6 sao of Achyranthes bidentata for nearly 10 years now. Each sao yields nearly 1 ton of tubers, earning 18 million VND, total income of more than 100 million VND/winter crop - many times higher than rice cultivation. This is a great source of motivation for many local farming households to continue expanding the area of medicinal plants.

Medicinal plant growing area of Mr. Dao Trong Huyen, Song Lang commune (Vu Thu).

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: Developing medicinal plants not only brings high economic value but also helps farmers change their production mindset, making the most of the potential of land and agricultural labor. Farmers who are used to rice and other crops have now switched to growing medicinal plants with enthusiasm and the desire to get rich. This creates an urgent working atmosphere, contributing to improving the economic and spiritual life of the people. In addition, medicinal plants also contribute positively to environmental protection. Compared to many other crops, medicinal plants require less chemicals and fertilizers, helping to improve soil quality and protect the ecosystem. This is also an important factor in building sustainable agriculture.

Despite many benefits, the development of medicinal plants in Thai Binh still faces a number of challenges. First, the product consumption market is not really stable, depending heavily on traders and purchasing companies. Medicinal plant cultivation techniques are still limited and need to be improved through training programs and technology transfer. In addition, post-harvest preservation and processing also need to be invested in to increase product value. Therefore, the agricultural sector and localities need to support farmers by building a sustainable chain of links between production and consumption. Investing in research and application of science and technology will help improve the quality of medicinal plants, while expanding the scale of production. Furthermore, it is necessary to promote products and build brands for Thai Binh medicinal plants, creating favorable conditions for products to access domestic and foreign markets.

Developing medicinal plants in Thai Binh is the right direction, bringing high economic efficiency, creating a driving force for sustainable development. At the same time, it helps farmers boldly change crop structure, break the monoculture of rice and expand production on large areas towards commodity production.