Removing obstacles and exploiting economic potential from medicinal herbs in the Southwest region of Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - Nghe An has mountainous areas that account for more than 2/3 of the province's total area. Along with the economic development orientations of the Western region according to Resolution 39-NQ/TW of the Politburo, the province is implementing many solutions to remove difficulties and obstacles, promoting the economic potential of medicinal herbs in the Western region.
Removing difficulties and shortcomings
Implementing Sub-project 2, Project 3 (National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period) on supporting the development of production according to value chains, precious medicinal herb growing areas, promoting business start-ups, startups and attracting investment in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, according to Resolution No. 45/NQ-HDND dated October 12, 2022 of the Provincial People's Council, Ky Son district was allocated 6,643 billion VND, Tuong Duong 6,642 billion VND, Con Cuong 4,403 billion VND, Que Phong 6,642 billion VND, Quy Chau 4,403 billion VND.
The project stipulates that the beneficiary locality must have a sufficient area allocated for growing medicinal herbs of 210 hectares or more, without requiring contiguous regions. However, according to the feedback from the localities allocated capital, apart from Ky Son district, the remaining districts do not have enough area to implement the project, so by October 2023, the capital has not been disbursed.
In addition to Ky Son district, other districts have proposed to superiors to adjust capital sources because the localities do not meet the required area for growing medicinal herbs.
“Ky Son is a locality that meets the conditions for implementation, so the allocation of capital of more than 6 billion VND is very limited and difficult to implement. Accordingly, in order to have a basis for implementing Sub-project 2, Project 3, National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period of 2021 - 2025, on April 24, 2023, Ky Son district proposed to adjust the capital plan to implement the project of investing in the precious medicinal herb growing area; propose to focus on investing in the medicinal herb growing area in Ky Son district, not spreading it to other localities", said Mr. Tho Ba Re - Vice Chairman of Ky Son District People's Committee.
This is a positive movement, bringing great hope to people in the Western districts in economic development associated with planting, processing and preserving locally available medicinal plants.
On October 28, 2023, Mr. Tho Ba Re said that the procedures related to capital transfer and the scale of Sub-projects under Project 3 have been completed. The district has also completed the plan to deploy the medicinal plant growing area, waiting for the Provincial People's Committee to decide on capital adjustment and early disbursement of the project.
Exploiting the great economic potential of medicinal herbs
The Southwest region of Nghe An is defined as including the districts of Thanh Chuong, Anh Son, Con Cuong, Tuong Duong and Ky Son, accounting for nearly 50% of the province's area. The forestry land area of the whole region accounts for more than 61% of the province's forestry land area.
In particular, all 5 districts are located in the Western Nghe An World Biosphere Reserve, with the core zone being Pu Mat National Park. This is an area with terrain and climate characteristics that are very favorable for the development of biodiversity, especially the development of rare and precious medicinal species.
According to research and synthesis of functional sectors, in Pu Mat National Park alone, 2,494 plant species, 931 genera belonging to 202 families, 70 species are in the Vietnam Red Book at risk of extinction; accounting for 2.81% of the total species of the system. Of which, there are nearly 1,000 medicinal species with many precious species such as: Puxailaileng ginseng (round-leaf wild ginseng), red polygonum multiflorum, 7-leaf 1-flower ginseng, yellow flower tea, golden orchid, ginseng, ginseng, codonopsis pilosula, red lingzhi mushroom, etc.
In addition to natural advantages, the southwestern districts have National Highway 7 across Laos, which can connect with Xieng Khouang province, which also has potential and advantages for developing medicinal herbs. The Ho Chi Minh road passes through 2/5 districts in the region, and the Lam River flows through all 5 districts. This is also a region with diverse ethnic cultures and rich indigenous knowledge, especially in the ways of identifying, exploiting, planting and using medicinal herbs.
Realizing the great potential for economic development from medicinal herbs, over the years, the departments have implemented support for many projects on growing and processing medicinal herbs in the area to exploit economic value associated with the conservation of many medicinal species.
Many businesses have been interested in researching, surveying and investing, such as Pu Mat Pharmaceutical Company, TH Group and many other businesses have also committed to investing, such as Thien Minh Duc Group; Nghe An Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies Company is building a pharmaceutical factory in Nam Cam Industrial Park.
Furthermore, this is the base of Pu Mat National Park Management Board, a unit with scientific research functions that will be the place to preserve, transplant, test and produce medicinal plant varieties, thereby connecting with businesses, agricultural technical service centers of districts and protective forest management boards of districts to support farmers.
Economic development from planting and preserving medicinal herbs has also been identified in Resolution No. 39/NQ-TW of the Politburo. Resolution No. 39 clearly stated: “Rapid and sustainable development of the Western region on the basis of maximizing potentials and advantages, especially advantages in forest economy, forest canopy economy, border gate economy, historical and cultural resources; increasing resilience in preventing and combating natural disasters, responding to climate change”, in which, “developing forests together with the carbon credit market; focusing on developing non-timber forest product production, especially medicinal plants”.
Therefore, along with the “removing” of obstacles and adding more capital for the medicinal plant growing project under Sub-project 2, project 3 is one of the movements showing the attention and priority of all levels and sectors towards the potential economic development direction from medicinal plants of the Western districts. Developing medicinal plants in mountainous areas also demonstrates the green economic development direction that Vietnam is aiming for.
It not only contributes to the change of thinking from afforestation and forest protection to forest economy, but also creates new livelihoods with different income levels. With the existing potential and advantages, it is hoped that the districts of the Southwest in particular, and the Western Nghe An region in general, will turn traditional disadvantages into new development opportunities, helping people not only to live thanks to the forest, but also to become rich from the forest.
