Quang Tri’s herbal extracts 'widen the road' to the USA

The delegation of Cal-Nev-Ari (Neveda, USA) led by Mr. Sonny Nguyen, City Development Director, had just signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with Cam Lo district in the export of herbal extracts.

According to the memorandum, the city of Cal-Nev-Ari will support Cam Lo district to export to the USA market a variety of extracts from herbs such as an xoa (Helicteres hirsuta Lour.), jute mallow, vine tea (Jasminum subtriplinerve Blume.), red pear eggplant (Solanum trilobatum), and tuber fleeceflower and tea bags of beefsteak plant (Perilla frustescens), red pear eggplant, celery, lettuce, turmeric, pepper, and rice. This will help Cam Lo district to connect with potential partners in the USA.

Cal-Nev-Ari will also help Cam Lo attract investors to build high-tech factories to make products from medicinal plants, develop large-scale raw material areas for export; support in high-tech agriculture and organic agriculture; building a commodity brand for local products.

The cooperation between the two sides will promote businesses in Cam Lo district to improve the quality of agricultural products in general and high-quality herbs in particular, gradually meeting the strict criteria of foreign markets, aiming at boosting exports.

Previously in 2020 and 2021, Cam Lo district and Cal-Nev-Ari city also had some initial cooperation. Cam Lo district exported two batches of an xoa extracts to Cal-Nev-Ari market with a total value of VND 3.4 billion. Cal-Nev-Ari, through a partner in Vietnam, cooperated with Cam Lo district to test 3.5 ha of raw an xoa with a budget of more than VND 1 billion.

Vice Chairman of Cam Lo District People's Committee Tran Hoai Linh said that the locality had just deployed a trial planting of 0.3 ha of jute mallow and was on its way to promoting the export of this crop to the USA.

After this memorandum of understanding, the district would expand the area to 20 ha, developing it into a concentrated raw material area for export. Cam Lo is committed to creating all favorable conditions for businesses and investors from Cal-Nev-Ari city when implementing activities and projects locally within the framework of the cooperation agreement.

Cam Lo is a land with climate and soil characteristics suitable for many types of medicinal plants. There are many valuable indigenous herb species, not to mention the local people have tradition and experience in extracting herbs.

Grasping the market demand, with the goal of becoming the capital of medicinal plants and the processing center of medicinal herbs of Quang Tri, over the years, Cam Lo has had many policies to support people and businesses. Many areas of inefficient forest trees have been planned by this locality to be converted into medicinal plants. Medicinal plants are planned to be developed, becoming one of the six main crops in Cam Lo district.

Catching hints of the market demand and harboring the goal of becoming “the capital of herbs” and the herb processing hub of Quang Tri, over the years Cam Lo has had many policies to support people and businesses in these fields. Many areas of inefficient forest trees have been converted to herb planting areas. And according to Cam Lo’s planning, medicinal herbs would be further developed to become one of the district’s six main crops.

Most recently, an xoa, an indigenous medicinal species, has been replicated and planted in some areas previously used for acacia planting. In order to support an xoa growers, the People's Committee of Cam Lo district has deducted the budget to provide support in terms of input materials for farmers such as seeds and fertilizers. An xoa growers in Cam Lo district can now incubate the seeds by themselves. The industry has come to create linkage and offer to underwrite all products at the price of VND 12,000 per kg.

According to statistics, there are currently over 200 ha of herbs of all kinds in Cam Lo district, of which 60 hectares are grown organically. This district is moving towards complete organic production for long-term herbs with a total planting area of over 100 ha. This is one of the prerequisites for herbs and herbal products to conquer meticulous markets.