Nghe An seeks to resolve obstacles for medicinal plant growing areas.

On the morning of August 16th, in Vinh City, under the chairmanship of the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Phung Thanh Vinh, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development held a meeting to discuss solutions for developing the area of ​​medicinal plants in Nghe An province.

Also attending the meeting were Ms. Thai Huong - Founder and Chairwoman of the Strategic Council of TH Group, General Director of Bac A Commercial Joint Stock Bank - an enterprise that has invested in developing medicinal plants in Muong Long and Na Ngoi communes (Ky Son district), along with representatives from the leadership of 5 districts: Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, Que Phong and Quy Chau.

Numerous "bottlenecks"

Despite being implemented since 2021, the project "Investment and development of valuable medicinal plants in Nghe An province giai đoạn 2021-2025" has not yielded significant results.

On July 26, 2024, the Provincial People's Committee adjusted the tasks and assigned the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to take the lead, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, relevant departments, agencies, and localities, in guiding, directing, and organizing the implementation of the project's investment content and supporting the development of areas for growing valuable medicinal plants.

The meeting was held to identify difficulties and obstacles, and to propose effective solutions in implementing this content.

At the meeting, representatives from the Department of Health and local authorities raised concerns and difficulties encountered in the implementation over the past period. The most significant difficulty was the obstacles in the Ministry of Health's circulars regulating the required area for planting medicinal plants; there was also a lack of clear direction regarding which types of plants should be developed…

Departments, sectors, and localities have put forward several proposals, including: allocating resources to local authorities or businesses to establish concentrated and unified seed production areas; conducting thorough surveys on the actual potential of each region and determining the appropriate crops to develop specific production orientations; the need for active participation from businesses and localities as partners in development; and the need for concrete plans from production to processing and product consumption.

We need the support of businesses.

Sharing her experience and discussing the Group's investment and development orientation for medicinal plants in the province, Labor Hero Thai Huong stated: The enterprise will provide technical support and accompany farmers throughout the production process, including purchasing and processing products to enhance their value. The land will remain with the farmers, and they will cultivate medicinal plants on their own land, playing a crucial role in the value chain.

First and foremost, to ensure long-term and sustainable development, we will advise on ways to help people use short-term gains to support long-term growth, planting suitable crops to create immediate livelihoods and nurture forests.

At the same time, from the sustainable development of medicinal plants, we can consider developing ecotourism and community tourism, creating attractive destinations in the western region of Nghe An province.

"We earnestly hope to gain the support of Nghe An province, relevant departments and localities, and especially the farmers in the mountainous region. Together, we will make a revolution in developing the forest economy, sustainably developing medicinal plants, bringing lasting value, and creating long-term livelihoods for people in the mountainous region," said Labor Hero Thai Huong.

Concluding the meeting, Comrade Phung Thanh Vinh emphasized: The implementation of the project aims to form a value chain system for the development of valuable medicinal plants, foster awareness of cultivating medicinal plants along the value chain, and conserve medicinal plant genetic resources, ensuring quality management processes and standards, combined with forest protection; at the same time, exploiting and promoting the potential and advantages of natural conditions and natural resources, helping to alleviate poverty, improve income and living standards of people in mountainous areas.

To successfully implement this policy, genuine involvement from localities and units is essential, along with the leading participation of large, capable enterprises to develop and market the products. "Local authorities must closely monitor the situation, supervise, and guide implementation. When localities are dedicated and businesses have the potential and vision, despite the difficulties, we can successfully implement the policy," emphasized Comrade Phung Thanh Vinh.
The Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development requested that the districts provide complete and specific data on the local land area and related information, in order to develop specific production plans for each region, as a basis for implementation.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development compiles the difficulties encountered in order to provide a basis for making recommendations and proposals for resolving and addressing them.