The land is well known as a medicinal herb growing area

The new economic zone of Dong Thanh in Lam Ha district is famous for vast coffee and mulberry fields. These plants helped people escape poverty and hunger.

Now, the land is well known as a medicinal herb growing area as well.

Le Van Chien, 34, is one of the local men who moved to the new economic zone in 2000.

At a meeting with reporters, he talked about herbs. “Our family changed accommodations many times and lived in many different localities before settling down here. But my father, when he was still alive, always cherished the dream of developing a specialized herb growing area,” he said.

Chien’s father, Le Van Biet, surprised many locals when he chopped down all of his coffee trees in 2013 and grew duong quy (Angelica sinensis) instead.

Biet, according to his wife Nguyen Thi Trong, bought duong quy seeds from the Central Institute for Medicinal Plant Research and cultivated duong quy on 4,000 square meters.

The farming brought high yields and quality Đường quy bulbs, and the total output sold out to pharmacy firms.

Later, Biet grew many other medicinal plants, raising the total herb growing area to 1.5 hectares. After that, Biet Loc Cooperative, which grows and supplies medicinal herbs, was established with members who cultivate herbs on an area of 20 hectares.

Households which have a minimum land area of 1,000 square meters can join the cooperative. Their duong quy can be sold to the cooperative at VND20,000-25,000 per kilogram. On average, the yield is 30 tons per hectare, which can bring profit of VND700 million per hectare.

However, medicinal herb growers are facing difficulties. The hot development of herb plants has made it more difficult to sell products.

Chien, now chair of Biet Loc Thanh after his father died in an accident, said the biggest problem for farmers is not production technology, but sales.

Herb growers like Chien have to do all the work, from cultivation and harvesting to processing herbal medicine to marketing and sales.

According to Nguyen Minh An, deputy chair of Lam Ha district, the local authorities have given 50 percent of total investment capital to build a cold storehouse to protect 40 tons of dry material for Biet Loc Thanh to improve the efficiency of the herb farming in the locality.

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