Bắc Giang drives Dành Mountain ginseng consumption

VIETNAM, May 6 - BẮC GIANG — Bắc Giang Province is boosting its effort to promote the consumption of Dành Mountain ginseng, a precious medicinal herb from Tân Yên District, aiming to develop and enhance the value of its distinctive local products.

Tân Yên district’s government has prioritised the development of Dành Mountain ginseng to establish it as a signature local product. This product boasts superior quality, comparable to Korean ginseng, and is traditionally considered a royal treasure and a healing herb for the eyes of Kinh Tự Đức’s mother.

Tân Yên district has about 125 hectares of Dành Mountain ginseng cultivated in Việt Lập, Liên Chung and Cao Thượng communes. In 2024, the district is expected to harvest about 30 tonnes of ginseng root and over 60 tonnes of ginseng flowers. The harvesting season occurs annually between August 15 and September 30 every year.

Dành Mountain ginseng products are diverse, including flowers, fresh ginseng roots, ginseng tea, shampoo, soluble forms, soft drinks, energy drinks, nutritional drinks, herbal medicines, eye-brightening pills, ginseng wine and ginseng flower tea. These products are widely available in major retail outlets such as Mega Market, Go! supermarket chain, Shopee e-commerce platform, pharmaceutical, confectionery and drink companies.

Recently, a conference to facilitate the connections and promote the consumption of Dành Mountain ginseng products was organised at the foot of Dành Mountain, Liên Chung Commune, Tân Yên District. It served as a platform to introduce the origin, quality, cultivation process, care and process of Dành Mountain ginseng, providing opportunities for domestic and foreign businesses and traders to seek partnership and sign product consumption contracts.

Vice chairman of Tân Yên District People's Committee, Ngô Quốc Hưng, said that Dành Mountain ginseng, known as the 'royal treasure product' from Tân Yên district, has superior quality, nutrition, food safety, and is increasingly trusted and chosen by consumers.

He said Tân Yên district is committed to creating the most favourable conditions to support ginseng growers, businesses and traders in harvesting, processing and consumption, providing the best support services, ensuring security, traffic safety and other services.

Dr. Đồng Thị Kim Cúc, Deputy Director of the Centre for High-tech Biological Experiments under the Vietnam Agricultural Genetics Institute, said the quality of Dành Mountain ginseng depends on the age of the plant. Some main components in the ginseng are saponins, flavonoids, organic acids, amino acids and saccharides. The saponin content of Dành Mountain ginseng is equivalent to Korean ginseng. For ginseng aged from 7-8 years, the saponin content is 1.5 times higher than Korean ginseng.

David Trần, Regional Director of ASEAN Countries, iBenetor Group (USA), said that the research findings have confirmed the high saponin content of Dành Mountain ginseng, which can be applied and processed into various nutritious products beneficial for health. Therefore, the company is pleased to cooperate with the units to gradually bring Dành Mountain ginseng products to domestic and international consumers. In particular, the company is currently aiming to promote these products in ASEAN countries and the US market.

Many opinions at the conference have also suggested that authorities should focus on zoning Dành Mountain ginseng raw materials areas, strengthen communication and marketing through various platforms such as Facebook and TikTok and establish production links between ginseng growers and individual business households, cooperatives, domestic and foreign enterprises.

Additionally, technical training in ginseng cultivation for locals, promoting organic farming model and linking ginseng product promotion with community tourism development were also advocated. — VNS