"In Son La in general, and Muong La in particular, there are already abundant natural resources. I want to bring natural products to consumers... In 2022, I had the idea of ​​establishing a cooperative to produce herbal teas to meet the demand for health-enhancing herbal products among the people," shared Ms. Luong Thi Chuong, Director of the Mountain Herbal Cooperative, Muong La District, Son La Province.

With her ideas, passion, and dedication, Ms. Luong Thi Chuong has created new products from the abundant natural resources of the locality, including "wild apple tea"...

The cooperative invested in a factory, equipment, and machinery to produce the products.

According to Ms. Chuong: "I had the idea to make wild apple tea because I saw that the raw materials were readily available and wild apples are very friendly to the local people. Then I saw that the people were experiencing situations where good harvests meant low prices, and high prices meant poor harvests... I also researched how to help the people have a stable source of income each year when the wild apples mature."

From fresh, delicious wild apples grown and harvested in the highlands of Muong La, the cooperative members sliced ​​and dried them to preserve their flavor and nutrients; then processed them through drying, grinding, and packaging...

Ms. Tong Thi Tich, a member of the Mountain Medicinal Herbs Cooperative in Muong La district, shared: "Choosing ripe wild apples is best, as they will have a fragrant, sweet and sour taste... Such ingredients will meet the standards for making tea, and drying them in the sun will give them a reddish-yellow color."

The products are processed by the cooperative using herbs and natural ingredients readily available locally.

Besides the wild apple tea, which was recognized as a typical rural industrial product at the provincial level in 2023, the Mountain Medicinal Herbs Cooperative in Muong La district is also researching formulas and processing procedures for other herbal teas, as well as shampoos and body washes made from medicinal plants.

According to Ms. Quàng Thị Phương, a member of the cooperative, to produce herbal shampoo, the cooperative uses 20 different herbs, such as soapberry, soapnut, lemon, ginger, lemongrass, and Polygonum multiflorum, to prevent hair loss, treat dandruff, relieve itching, and provide a natural, safe fragrance.

"After washing the ingredients thoroughly, I put them in a pot for distillation. After about a day, I drain off all the liquid; after another day, I distill the liquid again so that when the liquid evaporates, I get a concentrated shampoo product..." - Ms. Phuong said.

Along with investing in factory construction and equipment, the Mountain Medicinal Herb Cooperative in Muong La district also collaborates with 100 households growing medicinal herbs in the area to purchase raw materials, ensuring seasonal production. On average, the cooperative purchases 5-10 tons of hawthorn, bitter melon, papaya flowers, spoonwort, ginseng, and reishi mushrooms from local farmers each year.

Investing in the exploitation and processing of medicinal herbs creates new products, generates more jobs for people, and leverages the advantages of available natural resources...

Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of It Ong town, Muong La district, said: "Cooperatives like this have purchased agricultural products to process into medicinal products for consumers, bringing benefits to the people. Initially, the cooperative has created jobs for workers, with incomes ranging from 5 to 7 million VND per month, generating quite high and stable revenue..."

To bring its more than 30 existing products closer to consumers, the Mountain Medicinal Herbs Cooperative has actively promoted its products on social media platforms; participated in conferences, seminars, and trade fairs; established a store to sell and introduce products in Son La city; and consigned products to tourist destinations inside and outside the province such as Moc Chau, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Hanoi, Ninh Binh, etc.

However, the director of the cooperative also expressed concerns and difficulties; and hoped to receive support in the form of loans to invest in purchasing machinery and equipment for advanced processing, in order to supply the market with products that meet higher standards in terms of quality and design.

The Mountain Medicinal Herbs Cooperative introduces and promotes its products through various distribution and sales channels.

"The local government has provided a lot of support and assistance to the cooperative, such as verifying documents for producing OCOP products, promotional programs, and consulting... The cooperative hopes to build, expand, and produce in a single direction, needing low-interest capital that can be sustained in the long term," said Ms. Luong Thi Chuong.

Investing in the exploitation and processing of medicinal herbs not only creates new products and generates more jobs for the people, but also helps to leverage the advantages of available natural resources and partially solve the problem of "bumper harvest, low prices" faced by farmers in Son La. This contributes to promoting socio-economic development in this mountainous region, which still faces many difficulties.

Source: vov.vn