Well-protected forests are a condition for people in forested areas to intercrop other trees, especially the mixed forest planting method, bringing about clear economic efficiency. Mr. Lo May in Tam Bong village, Tam Quang commune (Tuong Duong district) said that each year he sells 1 hectare of xoan, reaching 50 m3wood, price 2 million VND/m3, for a total revenue of about 100 million VND/ha. Xoan wood is currently selling very well, traders come to the garden to cut and transport it by truck. According to Mr. May, the forest is planted using the "multi-layer, multi-purpose mixed" method, which means that on the land fund of over 3.5 ha, he has planted 0.5 ha of acacia and 1.5 ha of xoan, the rest is meter trees. Hybrid acacia is planted with meter trees so that when the hybrid acacia is harvested, it can still be used to continue to care for and exploit meter trees effectively.
In Tam Quang commune, this traditional method is being used very effectively. Previously, people mainly planted meter trees along the rivers. When the hybrid acacia market was unstable, people in Tam Quang commune used the traditional mixed forest planting method, bringing hundreds of hectares of meter trees to the hills to plant mixed trees interspersed with other trees. Many families earn over 200 million VND each year from selling meter trees. Many households use the mixed planting method between meter trees and small-sized trees. Small-sized trees are naturally regenerated, small-sized trees are salt-resistant, and are specialized in building boats, so they have high value. In Tam Quang commune, the planted forest area is over 1,000 hectares, of which only about 70 hectares are acacia, the remaining area is planted with "multi-layered mixed" trees with high income efficiency such as meter trees 450 hectares, and xoan over 300 hectares...
Under the canopy of the primeval forest in Que Phong, Quy Chau districts... there are also yellow tea flowers, considered the "queen of teas" and bon bo trees. Yellow tea flowers and bon bo trees prefer to live under the canopy of the forest, where there is no sunlight. Mr. Ha Minh Tuan - Secretary of the Chau Kim Commune Party Committee (Que Phong), who has been attached to yellow tea flowers for many years, said that if there is sunlight, the leaves of the yellow tea flowers will dry out and the same goes for the bon bo trees. Therefore, if we want yellow tea flowers and bon bo trees to grow well, we must first protect the natural forest well.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Que Phong district, yellow tea flowers are concentrated in the communes of Chau Kim, Dong Van, Tien Phong... with a total area of about 2,000 hectares; the annual output of flowers harvested by people is estimated at over 10 tons of fresh flowers. In recent years, when the yellow tea flowers are budding and blooming, ethnic minorities in the district go into the forest to harvest and sell to traders at high prices, fresh flowers cost 300,000 VND/kg, after drying they cost over 5 million VND/kg. Therefore, the direction of the district will create products with linkages so that the products are better consumed. With bon bo trees, the whole district has about 1,000 hectares, every year people harvest hundreds of tons of fruit, earning nearly 10 billion VND. In addition, not to mention precious medicinal plants and some secondary forest products such as dong leaves, banana leaves, bamboo shoots, giang, long... bring significant income to ethnic minorities.
Mr. Bui Van Hien - Vice Chairman of Que Phong District People's Committee added that the whole district currently has more than 153 thousand hectares of forest, of which 143.5 thousand hectares are natural forests, the forest coverage rate is currently 77.65%. In natural forests, there are many precious medicinal plants, of which the highest value are yellow tea and bon bo trees. In order for yellow tea and bon bo trees to become large commodities, the district will use the capital of the National Target Program to invest in expanding the area of yellow tea trees according to the chain; at the same time, continue to plant and protect bon bo trees well.
In addition to planting trees under the forest canopy, the highland localities of Nghe An also protect forests to exploit the potential for ecotourism development, which is increasingly attracting tourists. The highlight is the casuarina forest in Tam Dinh commune, Tuong Duong district, which is more than 70 hectares wide. Environmentalists have assessed that the forest "carries intact a typical tropical rain-fed ecosystem of the remaining Western Nghe An, with a valuable genetic resource at risk of depletion".
Mr. Nguyen Huu Hien - Vice Chairman of Tuong Duong District People's Committee, said: Realizing the role and significance of primeval forests serving tourism, in recent years, Tuong Duong district has protected and protected many other small-scale forests in the communes of Tam Quang, Tam Thai, Yen Na, Yen Tinh...
Of the more than 1 million hectares of forest in Nghe An, nearly 50% of the area is located in the Southwest region, including the districts of Thanh Chuong, Anh Son, Con Cuong, Tuong Duong and Ky Son. Of which, the forestry land area of the region accounts for more than 61% of the forestry land area of the whole province. Notably, all 5 districts are located in the Western Nghe An World Biosphere Reserve with the core area being Pu Mat National Park.
This is an area with very favorable terrain and climate for biodiversity development, especially the development of rare and precious medicinal herbs. According to research and synthesis of functional sectors, in Pu Mat National Park alone, 2,494 plant species, 931 genera belonging to 202 families, of which 70 species are listed 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 precious species such as Puxailaileng ginseng (round-leaf wild panax notoginseng), red polygonum multiflorum, "7 leaves 1 flower" ginseng, yellow camellia, golden orchid, Tho Hao ginseng, codonopsis pilosula, red lingzhi, etc.
TH Group currently has a large medicinal plant project in Na Ngoi and Muong Long communes (Ky Son), Nghe An. Each season has its own products, ginseng, chrysanthemum, medicinal herbs, ginger, orchids, etc. are produced completely naturally and brought to the processing factory, creating more jobs for hundreds of local workers with a salary of 7-10 million VND/person/month. The project grows key medicinal plants such as Puxailaileng ginseng, “7-leaf 1-flower” ginseng, Panax pseudoginseng, Codonopsis pilosula, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Red Polygonum multiflorum, etc.
We visited the scale of the ginseng garden under the protective forest canopy in Na Ngoi commune (Ky Son). The vast land beds are covered by nets and nylon sheets hidden under the lush natural forest canopy. Mr. Le Hoang - Head of the Ky Son Protective Forest Management Board said that in October 2023, based on Decision No. 512/QD-SNN-QLKTKHCN dated August 10, 2023 on approving the cooperation plan to plant medicinal plants under the forest canopy at the Ky Son Protective Forest Management Board, the Board and Sam Ngoc Linh Pharmaceutical Group Joint Stock Company signed a contract to plant medicinal plants under the forest canopy in Na Ngoi commune, with a total area of 19.83 hectares, expected to plant Puxailaileng ginseng, Ngoc Linh ginseng, and wild ginseng. The model of linking medicinal plant cultivation under the forest canopy not only helps build a database of valuable medicinal plants with high economic value to serve the research, conservation and development of medicinal plants. In February 2024, Ngoc Linh Ginseng Pharmaceutical Group planted 60,000 Ngoc Linh ginseng plants on an area of 3 hectares in Na Ngoi commune.
In addition to natural advantages, the districts in the Southwest region have National Highway 7 crossing into Laos, which can connect with Xieng Khouang province, which also has potential and advantages for developing medicinal herbs. Ho Chi Minh road passes through 2/5 districts in the region, and Lam river flows through all 5 districts. In the planning, the Hanoi - Vientiane expressway will also pass through the region connecting with Laos via Thanh Thuy border gate. This is also a region with diverse ethnic cultures with very rich indigenous knowledge, especially the way to identify, exploit, plant and use medicinal herbs...
From the Pha Lom village cultural house, Tam Hop commune (Tuong Duong) to Mr. Xong Ba Ca's house is only a few hundred meters. Mr. Xong Ba Ca's garden is a large area of about 200m2.2enclosed, covered with a net to protect from the sun and rain, growing ginseng "7 leaves 1 flower". Xong Ba Ca is the first household in Tam Hop commune to pioneer in growing medicinal herbs considered to be the most difficult, the source of seedlings is exploited from the natural forest in this locality.
Mr. Xong Ba Ca said that the State supports wages, and for ginseng seeds, households go into the forest to find plants or seeds. In the 5th year, the natural ginseng plants brought back to the garden to plant have now begun to produce fruit, increasing motivation for other households. Currently, with ginseng roots weighing about 4-5g, people sell them for about 70,000 VND/gram, equivalent to 7 million VND/kg for ginseng over 5 years old; and 1-2 year old ginseng can also be sold for 500,000 VND to 1 million VND/kg. Although it is only a pilot harvest, the results also show high economic potential, encouraging people to boldly implement and expand the precious ginseng garden in Pha Lom village. In addition to Xong Ba Ca household, there are 4 other households growing "7 leaves 1 flower" ginseng in Pha Lom village, including Lau Nho Thai, Xong Tong Gio, Lau Giong Chua and Xong Nenh Lau households.
In fact, from the potential for developing medicinal plant economy, over the past years, departments and branches in Nghe An have implemented support for many projects on growing and processing medicinal plants in the area to exploit economic value associated with the conservation of many medicinal plant species such as Puxailaileng ginseng, "7 leaves 1 flower" ginseng, Panax pseudoginseng, Angelica sinensis, Codonopsis pilosula, Jacoon, ginger, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Chinese yam, wild bitter melon, bon bo... (Ky Son); Morinda officinalis, purple khôi, yellow flower tea, 5-veined cajuput, red turmeric... (Tuong Duong); Solanum procumbens, Gymnema sylvestre, Polyscias fruticosa, purple cardamom, sand ginseng... (Con Cuong); Black xạ, Tho hao ginseng... (Thanh Chuong)... Many businesses have been interested in researching, surveying and investing in the region such as Pu Mat Medicinal Materials Company, TH Group and many other businesses have also committed to investing,... Currently, Nghe An Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies Company is building a pharmaceutical factory in Nam Cam Industrial Park.
