Opening the treasure of Western Nghe An

(Baonghean) - Nghe An has a very high biodiversity with the Western region recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve.

Through investigation and assessment, the province has nearly 1,000 species with different medicinal values ​​and many genetic resources and agricultural products with endemic characteristics. How to promote and exploit this treasure? - is one of the issues raised in the recent working session between the working delegation of Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh and leaders of Nghe An province.

High biodiversity

Research by the Department of Science and Technology shows that Western Nghe An has many valuable species such as Puxailaileng ginseng, codonopsis pilosula, panax notoginseng, red lingzhi mushroom, yellow flower tea, etc. However, the issue of developing the pharmaceutical and medicinal materials industry in the province has not received due attention. Enterprises in the area have not paid attention to developing the field of oriental medicine. The work of attracting pharmaceutical enterprises and developing medicinal materials is just beginning.

Meanwhile, according to the province's assessment, medicinal herbs in the area are purchased by private individuals and sold abroad. Some types are even purchased by private traders according to orders from Chinese traders, but it is not understood "what are they buying for?"; and it is also not possible to check because there are no management sanctions because medicinal herbs are classified as non-timber forest products. And many types are in a state of near-extinction at the red alert level.

The province's socio-economic development strategy to 2025, with a vision to 2030, has identified the pharmaceutical industry and medicinal materials development as one of the four breakthroughs. This is also consistent with the current development trend when the pharmaceutical industry is an industry with strong development prospects in the future due to its high scientific and technological content and a sharp increase in consumption as people's living standards increase.

The yellow camellia tree promises to bring high income to people in Que Phong district. Photo: Dao Tuan

Mr. Nguyen Van Lieu - Director of the Department of Local Science and Technology Development, Ministry of Science and Technology assessed: Nghe An is a very special province, diverse in natural conditions, terrain, land, climate, biology, and culture. When knowing how to exploit the advantages of diversity, it will create a competitive advantage for development, especially in the integration period.

“Domestic medicinal herbs are produced 3,000 tons each year, while the demand is tens of thousands of tons. Pharmaceutical companies are having to import processed Chinese medicinal herbs, while people sell precious medicinal plants. Nghe An has many types of medicinal herbs. This advantage needs to be promoted,” said Mr. Lieu.

The correlation between Nghe An's potential and the actual needs of the market shows that Nghe An's orientation in developing medicinal herbs is very suitable, but the results achieved are really a concern for management levels, including the science and technology sector.

At the working session with Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh and the working delegation, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Huynh Thanh Dien raised 7 priority orientations for the province's science and technology development, in which medicine and pharmacy are one of the important focuses emphasized.

Specifically, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Huynh Thanh Dien, on behalf of the provincial leaders, proposed the Ministry of Science and Technology to support very important projects for the Western region of Nghe An: "Project on applying science and technology to develop medicinal herbs and pharmaceutical industry in the province, initially focusing on developing some ginseng strains: Puxailaileng, Vu Diep, Tam That Hoang, Bay La Mot Hoa and project on applying science and technology to develop golden flower tea".

Breeding yellow camellia in Que Phong. Photo: Dao Tuan

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also proposed that the Ministry of Science and Technology support the project of technological innovation to develop the tea chain to improve the efficiency and quality of tea products, the project to improve the quality of local cattle herds... This is an agricultural advantage, if well promoted, it will create a breakthrough to improve the lives of people, especially in the Western region of Nghe An.

The goal of the tea chain development project is to improve the efficiency and quality of tea products in the province. To do so, in addition to importing new high-quality varieties, research and innovation in processing technology are needed to create quality tea products that can enter high-end markets such as Western Europe, Northern Europe, Japan and North America.

For the project of applying science and technology to improve the quality of local cattle herds in the Western districts, the focus is on the objectives of researching and planning livestock development towards commodities, improving cattle breeds, livestock processes, finding solutions to consume products domestically and internationally, especially for export.

Get in the game with a spirit of action

Fully agreeing with the priority orientations in the province's science and technology development, Minister Chu Ngoc Anh assessed that Nghe An's direction is consistent with the general "flow" and policy shift of the Ministry and the science and technology sector in our country.

Citing the story at the recent national medicinal herbs conference chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the Minister of Science and Technology said that in our country, there have been a number of pharmaceutical enterprises that have developed and competed on par with foreign enterprises, with products that have entered demanding markets like the US and have been granted patents.

Inspired by those success stories, Minister Chu Ngoc Anh supported the approach to the gac tree and yellow tea flower that the province has implemented in conjunction with attracting successful business investment and stated that he has seen the shape of the policy on science and technology development in Nghe An. Because behind these models, the State has made preparations in advance with certain scientific operations. Then, calling on businesses to invest. When the businesses grow strong, they can become research institutes or support research and innovation, technology transfer. "Our policy continues to focus on this, this step is very appropriate," the Minister emphasized.

The Mong people's cattle breed in Nghe An is highly valuable. Photo: Thanh Duy

Minister Chu Ngoc Anh also said that this is also the approach that the Ministry of Science and Technology and Nghe An province will coordinate to implement not only in the field of medicinal herbs but also with other agricultural products according to the province's recommendations. Accordingly, the Minister suggested that the province choose priorities to focus on high investment for each specific product.

“We will direct relevant departments and bureaus, first of all the Department of Local Science and Technology Development will be the focal point to see which comes first, which comes last according to the province's priorities to include in national science and technology programs for support,” the Minister said, emphasizing that the Ministry's agencies “join in” to support Nghe An with a spirit of action.

It can be said that the meeting between the Minister of Science and Technology and the leaders of Nghe An province has strongly promoted the commitment and companionship between the two sides. In the spirit of implementing Resolution 26 of the Politburo on the direction and tasks for the development of Nghe An province until 2020, many specific "issues" for the field of science and technology were put forward for the Ministry of Science and Technology and Nghe An province to coordinate to solve in order to build Nghe An into the center of the North Central region in science and technology, especially the issue of exploiting the "treasures" in the Western Nghe An such as medicinal herbs and agriculture.

This opens up a direction that is suitable for indigenous culture, protects sustainable exploitation of resources, conserves biodiversity, and creates sustainable livelihoods so that local people not only escape poverty but also get rich from the inherent potential in the living space that has been attached to them for generations.

Thanh Duy