A Rare Ginseng Forest of Ngọc Linh Spanning 140 Hectares Secretly Cultivated Over 13 Years Has Just Been Unveiled.
According to VTV, this ginseng forest is located on the peak of Ngọc Linh Mountain in Kon Tum Province, where the altitude exceeds 2,000 meters above sea level. With 140 hectares of Ngọc Linh ginseng, each hectare yields at least one ton of ginseng, which, at current market prices, could generate revenue of up to 50 billion VND.
VTV quotes Mr. Trần Hoàn, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Ngọc Linh Kon Tum Ginseng Joint Stock Company, stating: “At one point, we had to purchase ginseng for as much as 50 million VND per kilogram, while its survival rate was only between 30-40%. For decades, we have sent people across various communes in ginseng-growing areas. When locals harvest it, we purchase the ginseng and take it back to the forest.”
The Ngọc Linh ginseng forest has been secretly cultivated. Photo: SGTT
With the announcement of the 140-hectare ginseng garden, the issue of seedling varieties, which was the greatest challenge in the strategy to propagate this precious medicinal plant, has been resolved. This year alone, the Ngọc Linh ginseng garden will supply 1 million seedlings, equivalent to 20 hectares of new cultivation.
The government has also formulated a policy to establish Ngọc Linh ginseng as three national medicinal products. However, it is only after the public announcement of this “secret” 140-hectare ginseng garden that a sustainable development direction for local residents through this medicinal plant becomes truly feasible. It is anticipated that Ngọc Linh ginseng will be available on the market by the end of this year.
It is known that Ngọc Linh ginseng is an extremely rare medicinal plant, found only in the high mountainous regions of a few districts in Kon Tum and Quảng Nam within the Ngọc Linh mountain range (which has a peak height of 2,598 meters). The Ngọc Linh ginseng species has been severely depleted and is at risk of extinction due to intensive harvesting since its discovery in 1973. Ngọc Linh ginseng is listed at the top of the Red Book of Vietnam’s plants (1994).
Since the 1990s, efforts have been made to rescue this precious ginseng. Relevant authorities in Quảng Nam and Kon Tum have established planting stations for ginseng seedlings around Ngọc Linh Mountain, which has the altitude and conditions suitable for the development of Ngọc Linh ginseng.
Overcoming numerous challenges, from organizational mechanisms to the establishment of ginseng planting stations in remote and high-altitude areas, as well as the search for cultivation and care techniques, the Trà Linh Medicinal Plant Research Station, belonging to Quảng Nam Pharmaceutical Company, has successfully preserved genetic resources and developed Ngọc Linh ginseng into an economic crop. Since 2008, the company has marketed Ngọc Linh ginseng products.
For the past five years, some residents of Ngọc Linh – the indigenous Xơ-đăng people in Nam Trà My District (Quảng Nam) and Tu Mơ Rông District (Kon Tum) – have successfully harvested the precious ginseng. Many households in Trà Linh (Nam Trà My) not only sell ginseng roots (aged 5 to 7 years) but also earn additional income by selling ginseng seedlings to local residents, including those in Tu Mơ Rông.
