Nghệ An province eyes medicinal herb cultivation and deep processing plants

A plan to promote the concentrated cultivation of medicinal herbs and the construction of three deep processing plants for these materials is set to move forward in Vietnam's central Nghe An province. During a meeting on July 31 between the Nghe An Provincial Steering Committee for Medicinal Material Development and Green Group Investment Joint Stock Company, the company proposed expanding concentrated cultivation areas, propagating herbs and short-term essential oil plants, and building three deep processing plants in the province. Nguyen Van De, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, noted that the province possesses over 1.46 million hectares of agricultural and forestry land, providing favorable conditions for the development of the medicinal material industry. He stated that residents are willing to cultivate these crops if stable markets are available. However, he acknowledged that the primary challenges lie in the designation and orientation of cultivation areas. Nguyen Viet Hung, Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial Farmers' Association, expressed concerns, stating, "Residents are delighted to switch to cultivating 'medicinal crops,' which can yield several times more income than rice cultivation. However, the weakest aspects are technical standards and seed quality. If companies do not provide long-term procurement commitments and support for labor safety and fire prevention in essential oil distillation facilities, the linkage chain will easily break." Provincial leaders highly appreciated the constructive exchange of opinions and indicated that it opens up development directions for the medicinal material industry. Specifically, the western region of the province has been identified as a key area for focused development of medicinal materials among the province's three development spaces. Furthermore, three of the province's five economic corridors—along National Highway 7, National Highway 48, and the Ho Chi Minh Road—are planned as key economic corridors to promote green economy, forest economy, and medicinal crop development. Provincial authorities revealed that their biggest concern is the inadequacy of the development plan approved eight years ago. Therefore, the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee has instructed relevant agencies to conduct surveys and evaluations, aiming to complete the revision of the medicinal herb cultivation area development plan within 2026 to fully leverage the local potential and advantages. Source: Nhan Dan