Medicinal plant yields decrease after many growing cycles
A Xuan Organic Medicinal Company Limited (An Xuan Company) in Cam Tuyen Township (Cam Lo District, Quang Tri) is currently associated with many local households growing medicinal plants, mainly thorns and prickly pears. Fraud. All medicinal herbs grown by this method are purchased and processed by An Xuan Company.
The land used for growing medicinal plants is showing signs of deterioration and is becoming increasingly barren. Picture: Vo Dung.
What Ms. Tran Le Quynh Diem, Director of An
“We work with people and want to have a source of standard processing materials with high productivity and economy. But the land shows signs of decay and discoloration. “If the soil is not improved according to the right method, the yield and the quality of the medicinal plants will drop,” Ms. Diem fears.
In view of the above situation, An Accordingly, all by-products in the processing of medicinal herbs are collected, and the collected manure is composted with biological products to have a source of organic fertilizer to improve the soil.
According to Ms. Diem, soil improvement occurs simultaneously with the cultivation of medicinal plants and should not be rushed. When the land is restored to its original state, the yield and quality of the crops will increase.
A Xuan company uses organic fertilizers to improve the soil. Picture: Vo Dung.
Mr. Le Quang Hoa in Tan Quang Village, Cam Tuyen Township has just partnered with An Xuan Company to plant 1 hectare of prickly pear. According to Mr. Hoa, the company’s commitment to buying all products at a high price when planted properly helps people feel safe about the investment. After land reclamation, his family’s prickly pear cactus grows rapidly and promises a large yield. Thanks to the investment in an automatic irrigation system, which is covered with nylon for the beds, Mr. Hoa’s cultivation of medicinal plants is very leisurely.
To ensure that the products meet the quality standards, no pesticides and only organic fertilizers are used in the medicinal plant division of the An Xuan Company and its subsidiaries.
“Our technicians and agronomists make organic fertilizers and biopesticides that medicinal farmers can use. The process of soaking and brewing organic pesticides from ingredients such as ginger, garlic, chili… is strictly controlled,” Ms. Diem added.
With the progress of land reclamation, the yield and quality of medicinal plants in the areas produced or affiliated by An Xuan Company unexpectedly increased. Picture: Vo Dung.
Over the period of cultivation of medicinal plants, many chicken gravel plots in Cam Lo district have been degraded, productivity has dropped by 40% in some places. This is really a difficult problem for medicinal plant growers to solve. However, by trying to add green and organic fertilizers to the root system, as well as plants with a lot of nitrogen, soil improvement has led to high efficiency.
“The properties we tested for reclamation yielded unexpected results. “Not only did the yield increase, but the amount of active ingredients and the high concentration of medicinal plants were also significantly higher than in areas that were not improved by the soil enrichment method,” said Ms. Diem.
Don’t let anything go to waste
From 7 a.m., most of the employees of An Xuan Organic Pharmaceutical Company were present in the medicinal garden. In the automatic irrigation control house, the sound of the machine starts to work. Most of An Xuan Company’s medicinal plants are watered and nourished by Israeli drip irrigation technology. Nilon covers the thorn and thorn beds to retain moisture, prevent washout and limit weed growth.
Yield and quality of the prickly pear could be significantly improved by improving the soil. Picture: Vo Dung.
In a corner, some workers use hand cutters to cut each sheet and then arrange the thorns in small piles. The workers followed, collected and bundled them to take them to the washing place and prepare the processing steps. The wash water from these lakes is collected and treated according to standards for reuse.
There are plots, workers unload every piece of plastic cover to improve the soil and prepare it for replanting. Plenty of green Gotu Kola grows under the thin black plastic layer. They are also used to make herbal teas.
Processing steps often take place in the factory in the afternoon. After washing, the prickly pear is dried in a greenhouse system using green energy (sunlight). In the greenhouse there is a system for controlling temperature, ventilation and humidity.
All by-products of processing are used by An Xuan Company for composting and soil improvement.
Automatic irrigation helps medicinal plant growers save labor and reduce product costs. Picture: Vo Dung.
Almost nothing is wasted on this 5-acre medicinal plant and processing campus. As water is an increasingly scarce resource, the company uses Israeli technology to conserve water and increase efficiency.
“Israel made a large initial investment in drip irrigation technology, but the productivity and quality of medicinal plants have increased significantly, and at the same time the situation of soil leaching has decreased, especially when the areas are planted on slopes with steep slopes.” “Actively regulate nutrients for plants, reduce labor and reduce product costs,” said Ms. Tran Le Quynh Diem, director of An Xuan Company.
Soil improvement, economical irrigation and plastic mulches help to significantly increase the yield and quality of medicinal plants. Picture: Vo Dung.
According to Ms. Diem, the An vacuum concentrator, boiler system with exhaust pipe. In addition, An Xuan Company also cooperates with GMP standard factories to apply spray drying technology. Liquid medicinal herbs are dried in the shortest possible time to ensure the preservation of the active ingredients and to enhance the taste.
“Advanced technology for manufacturing high-quality products, lower product costs and increased competitiveness will be a prerequisite for higher profits. “This is also the basis for us having more potential for reinvestments and for working closely and sustainably with people in the cultivation and processing of medicinal plants,” said Ms. Diem.
Currently, An Xuan Company has guidelines to encourage people, especially connected households, to install drip irrigation systems using Israeli technology. This is also a step in the land reclamation process that the company recommends people do.
Drip irrigation using Israeli technology brings many benefits. Picture: Vo Dung.
Mr. Tran Hoai Linh, vice chairman of the Cam Lo District People’s Committee, said that today’s medicinal plant areas in the area used to be mainly planted with trees such as acacia and eucalyptus. The bottom has a steep slope, so the process of leaching, crushing and decomposition is rapid.
The fact that An This helps herbal growers change their production mindset and improve productivity and product quality. This will be a prerequisite for the site to attract companies and invite them to invest in the production and processing of medicinal plants.
After working as a sole proprietorship for five years, Ms. Tran Le Quynh Diem established An Xuan Organic Medicine Co., Ltd. in 2021. An Xuan Company not only plants, purchases and processes, but also has established a standard medicinal plant nursery. The company markets around 20,000 medicines of all kinds every year, which are sold in many large supermarkets across the country. In 2023, the Quang Tri Provincial People’s Committee proposed that An Xuan Company’s soluble prickly pear powder be recognized by the central government as a 5-star OCOP product.