Prospects of Lai Chau ginseng seedling nursery model

(BLC) – In 2017, Mr. Phan A Son’s family in Xin Chai village (Giang Ma commune, Tam Duong district) joined with 4 households in Lai Chau city and Hanoi to invest in a Lai Chau ginseng seedling nursery model in the village. Up to now, the model has shown great promise, and is expected to supply the market with 40,000 to 50,000 Lai Chau ginseng seedlings in 2021.
Overcoming a steep, steep road of more than 3km from the beginning of Xin Chai village, we visited the Lai Chau ginseng seedling nursery model. Located at an altitude of over 1,500m above sea level, the village is favorable for growing rare ginseng plants under the forest canopy. These last days of February, the commune is hot and sunny, but the forest of the village is covered in fog.
On the way, Mr. Son introduced us to this land with great potential, blessed by nature with a fresh climate, cool all year round, suitable for ginseng growth. To exploit the local potential, he struggled to find like-minded households to join in investing in a Lai Chau ginseng seedling nursery model. Because he alone did not have enough funds and investment techniques.

Anh Phàn A Sơn ở bản Xin Chải, xã Giang Ma kiểm tra sự phát triển của cây giống tại mô hình ươm cây giống sâm Lai Châu bản Xin Chải.

Mr. Phan A Son checks the growth of seedlings.

With determination, in early 2017, his family joined forces with 4 households in Lai Chau city and Hanoi to contribute capital to invest in a Lai Chau ginseng nursery model in the village. At that time, his family contributed forest land and 4 workers. The families of Pham Bui Anh Tuan, Pham Van Ngoc and Hoang Dinh Vuong in Lai Chau city contributed capital to build housing for workers, build a closed net house and install an automatic sprinkler irrigation system. For Mr. Pham Quang Tuyen – an officer of the Institute of Forestry (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) is responsible for the technical aspects of planting and nursery seedlings.
Before implementing the model, the households went to study the experience of nursery ginseng seedlings in net houses at the Institute of Forestry. From there, the households grasped the technical aspects of installing the model, including: building a system of frames, pillars, columns, and nets according to the correct techniques and preserving seeds and nursery plants according to the correct process. Households guide local workers to follow the correct procedures and techniques for growing ginseng in greenhouses from the stages of: soil preparation, fertilization, pest and disease management to growth status inspection. Technical staff clearly record the planting time, costs and profits for each ginseng bed. Immediately after implementing the model, households purchased over 500 Lai Chau ginseng plants from 5 to 10 years old to plant, care for and harvest seeds. After harvesting seeds, every year, households cut the stems and leaves of Lai Chau ginseng to sell for 1 million VND/kg. In 2020 alone, households earned more than 40 million VND from selling Lai Chau ginseng stems and leaves to the Institute of Forestry.
Mr. Son confided: “My biggest wish when linking with households to invest in the Lai Chau ginseng nursery model is to sell seedlings, contributing to increasing income and creating stable jobs for 5 family workers. At the same time, help the local people here gradually access Lai Chau ginseng seedlings suitable for the soil and climate conditions of the village. From there, the people apply scientific advances to planting and caring for ginseng in the direction of commodities to increase family income”.
Currently, the Lai Chau ginseng seedling nursery model in Xin Chai village has initially opened up a new direction of economic development with many prospects for local people to learn and follow. From a scale of 5,000m2, households have invested more than 5 billion VND to buy perennial seedlings, build greenhouses and nurseries. The model is expected to supply the market with 40,000 – 50,000 seedlings in 2021. Households list the selling price of 120,000 VND/plant (1 year old). For the Lai Chau ginseng seedling nursery model in Xin Chai village to be successful, households hired Mr. Hoang Van Sach to be in charge of the technique with a salary of 9 million VND/month. Mr. Sach majored in agronomy, including knowledge of ginseng seedling nursery. Every day, he eats and stays at the model, reminds workers to water, check for pests and fertilize.
Mr. Sach said: “To be successful with the Lai Chau ginseng seedling nursery model in Xin Chai village, I instruct local workers to prepare humus, including manure and composted leaves. Every year, I require workers to directly apply humus to perennial ginseng plants. From there, the seed harvest is guaranteed, with a germination rate of 99%. Thanks to good seeds, Lai Chau ginseng seedlings are healthy, grow and develop quite well”.
In fact, customers have a high demand for ginseng to nourish their health. Ginseng in general, Lai Chau ginseng in particular, is a natural resource that is gradually being depleted, many species are at risk of extinction. Therefore, the Lai Chau ginseng seedling nursery model in Xin Chai village under the natural forest area, with a fresh climate is necessary. In the model, there are 1, 2 and 3 year old seedlings. The owner of the model installed a camera system to monitor 24/24 hours at the nursery; hired a local worker to take care of, protect and clean the garden with a salary of 62 million VND/year.
In addition, at the Lai Chau ginseng nursery model in Xin Chai village, some ginseng plants are also piloted, such as: Vu Diep, That Diep and Tam That Hoang. The ginseng varieties in the model grow and develop quite well. This is a perennial crop that brings high economic profits. A 10-year-old Lai Chau ginseng root costs hundreds of millions of VND.
Mr. Phan A Sao – Head of Xin Chai village affirmed: “The Lai Chau ginseng nursery model in Xin Chai village has a high survival rate, contributing to the conservation, restoration and development of rare Lai Chau ginseng varieties. Many units and individuals order Lai Chau ginseng seedlings, contributing to increasing income for participating households, associated with protecting and developing sustainable forests. Currently, some villagers have learned from the model and grown Lai Chau ginseng under the forest canopy, contributing to increasing family income.”
Growing Lai Chau ginseng requires a large amount of capital, so the people of Xin Chai village hope that in the future, there will be more groups and individuals joining together to grow ginseng under the forest canopy, contributing to sustainable poverty reduction.