Con Cuong farmers grow 'poor man's ginseng' in greenhouses

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trung's 3-year-old ginseng garden. Photo: Thanh Phuc

After retiring from his local job, heNguyen Ngoc Trung, a 4/4 disabled veteran, started his own business. Having 5 years of experience in medicine and pharmacy, and realizing that there were many medicinal plants in the area such as Polygonum multiflorum, Solanum procumbens, Gymnema sylvestre, and Euryale ferox... Mr. Trung researched and prepared herbal extracts.

“At first, we cooked for family and relatives to try. Then we cooked according to pre-orders from acquaintances. Up to now, we have completed the procedures and paperwork, invested in modern machinery to prepare large quantities to supply the market,” Mr. Trung shared.

The ginseng plant has high medicinal properties, is easy to grow and easy to care for. Photo: Thanh Phuc

In the process of learning about herbs, he realized that ginseng is a precious medicinal plant, the main ingredient in many medicines. In particular, all parts of this plant can be used to make medicine (extract, medicine, tea...), so its economic value is very high.

Meanwhile, locally, this plant grows sporadically in gardens and hills. Almost every house has a few plants for decoration and as a spice, but no one is interested in using it as a medicinal herb.

In 2018, after carefully studying and researching various documents, Mr. Trung decided to plant the ginseng tree on the rice fields. He asked for 7,000 ginseng branches from households in the district, raised them and planted them in the ground. After a period of care, the ginseng tree took root and developed.

In fact, ginseng is very suitable for the climate and soil in Con Cuong. However, to expand production, there needs to be a connection to create sustainable output. Photo: Thanh Phuc

However, the harsh drought and dense frosts caused the leaves to burn and dry out before any leaves could be harvested. The loss of more than 100 million VND in land preparation, potting, fertilizer and care did not discourage him. “In reality, the failure of ginseng grown in the field is due to extreme weather conditions. If this plant is brought into a greenhouse, this problem can be overcome. Therefore, I have experimented with planting 2,000 ginseng plants on an area of ​​500 m²"net house," said Mr. Trung.

After 6 months of planting, the tree grows well and yields the first batch of leaves with a yield of up to 8 quintals/batch, purchased by traders right in the field at a price of 15,000 - 20,000 VND/kg.

Polyscias fruticosa leaves are processed into extracts and tea bags. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Regularly after that, every year there are 6 harvests with a yield of up to 6-8 tons of leaves. When the price is good, they are sold fresh in the field. When the price is low and difficult to sell, they are dried and stored in warehouses. In particular, to proactively sell the ginseng plant, he has researched how to prepare it into extract and tea to sell on the market.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trung said: "The medicinal properties of ginseng are high, it is the main ingredient in many medicines, it has good effects in human health care. That is why ginseng is considered "ginseng of the poor". Currently, I have successfully prepared ginseng extract and ginseng tea bags to sell on the market."

Currently, Mr. Trung has the initiative to grow small-leaf ginseng to expand the area. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Trung is currently looking to contact pharmaceutical companies to cooperate in growing and supplying raw materials such as leaves and roots of ginseng to make medicine. Compared to other crops, ginseng costs less, requires less care, and gives long-term harvests, high productivity, and is very suitable for the climate and soil of the area.Con Cuong./.

Thanh Phuc