Kon Tum approves project to grow over 4,600ha of Ngoc Linh ginseng
Kon Tum (VNA) – Local authorities of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum have approved a project to grow Ngoc Linh ginseng in Tu Mo Rong district, in a bid to preserve and develop the medicinal plant.
The project, with an investment of over 4.93 trillion VND (217.01 million USD), will be implemented on an area of more than 4,600ha of natural forest in Mang Ri and Ngoc Lay communes of the district. It is expected to produce 500kg of fresh ginseng per year.
It is hoped to ensure sustainable forest management and promote the growing and preservation of Ngoc Linh ginseng, while creating more products from the ginseng that meet domestic and international demand.
In addition, the project will
generate jobs for about 5,000 workers, mainly those from ethnic groups, raising
local income and reducing poverty rate.
Ngoc Linh ginseng was first found on Ngoc Linh
Mountain on the border between Quang Nam and Central Highlands Kon Tum province
and in the late 1960s.
Vietnam’s Ngoc Linh ginseng contains 52 saponins
(saponin is the main component of ginseng. The more saponins, the better).
Besides saponin, Ngoc Linh ginseng contains 17 amino
acids, 20 trace minerals and 0.1 percent of attar. The ginseng has high effects
in anti-stress and anti-aging conditions. It helps improve immunity, enhance
liver function, and lower cholesterol. Besides, it also works well with
antibiotics and diabetes medications.
Ngoc Linh
ginseng is one of the world’s most precious ginsengs. It has been approved as a
national product under the Prime Minister’s Decision 787/QD-TTg.
Quang Nam has zoned off over 15,000 hectares to plant
the ginseng, with the participation of over 1,000 households in seven communes
in Nam Tra My district.
In 2016, the Ministry of Science and Technology’s
Intellectual Property Agency recognised the Geographical Indication (GI) of
Ngoc Linh for ginseng root products.-VNA