A ginseng sample with attached information on display at Kon Tum-Ngọc Linh Ginseng Festival. — VNA/VNS Photo

KON TUM — Kon Tum-Ngọc Linh Ginseng Festival will be held in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum biennially from 2024, according to a decision recently approved by the provincial People's Committee.

The event will feature a variety of activities, including domestic and international seminars on the value of Ngọc Linh ginseng and an exhibition showcasing Ngọc Linh ginseng plants and other medicinal herbs related to tourism development and lives of local ethnic communities.

It will also include a writing and short video competition about the plant, and displays of unique tourism products associated with Ngọc Linh ginseng and other One Commune One Product (OCOP) items, and various cultural and sporting events.

The People's Committee of Kon Tum Province has assigned the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to take the lead and coordinate with relevant agencies, units, and localities in implementing the project.

Regarding businesses, cooperatives, cooperative groups, households, and individuals involved in growing, producing, and trading Ngọc Linh ginseng products and other medicinal herbs, it would be necessary to promote the cultivation of Ngọc Linh ginseng and other types of medicinal herbs.

Research and implementation of support models and links with local residents should be carried out to establish concentrated areas for growing medicinal herbs on a large scale.

The local authorities also noted that it is important for these parties to enhance the application of scientific and technical knowledge, improve the value and quality of products, expand the market, and actively participate in activities of the Ngọc Linh Ginseng Festival.

Ngọc Linh ginseng (Panax vietnamensis, or Vietnamese ginseng), a rare medical root containing 52 saponin compounds helpful to health, was found on Ngọc Linh Mountain on the boundary between the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum and the central province of Quảng Nam in the late 1960s.

Besides saponin, Ngọc Linh ginseng contains 17 amino acids, 20 trace minerals and 0.1 per cent of attar. Ginseng promotes anti-stress and anti-aging. It also helps improve immunity, enhances liver functions, and lowers cholesterol. It also works well with antibiotics and diabetes medications.

One of the world’s most precious, ginseng was approved as a national product under the Prime Minister’s Decision 787/QĐ-TTg dated June 5, 2017.

By 2030, Kon Tum is expected to become one of the three provinces with the biggest Ngọc Linh ginseng cultivation area. — VNS