Scene of the working session

Thai Nguyen Province has a total natural area of more than 837,000 ha; of which, the area planted with cinnamon trees is over 11,700 ha, and the area planted with star anise trees is 3,400 ha, distributed mainly in the northern region of the province. Cinnamon and star anise trees grow and develop well, suited to the local climate and soil conditions, and bring high economic efficiency, creating jobs and increasing incomes for residents... However, the planted area remains fragmented and small-scale, not yet forming a concentrated raw material zone or a sustainable linkage chain from afforestation, care and protection, harvesting, processing, to consumption, in order to raise the value of cinnamon and star anise plantation forests. Faced with this situation, Thai Nguyen Province has issued numerous policies and development orientations for the cinnamon and star anise raw material zone toward commodity production, higher added value, sustainable development, and creating every favorable condition to attract investors to the locality.

Leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment discussing the survey on building a cinnamon and star anise processing factory in the northern region of the province

VINASAMEX is an enterprise specializing in the production, processing, and export of Vietnam's organic cinnamon, star anise, medicinal herbs, and spice products. In its development process, the Company has persistently built a linkage model with households, cooperatives, and raw material areas in many northern mountainous provinces; while also investing in quality management, traceability, and processing systems that meet international market standards. VINASAMEX's products have been exported directly to many demanding markets such as the European Union (EU), the United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and the Middle East region.

Through its survey, the Company assessed that the northern region of the province has advantages in natural conditions, soil, forest ecosystems, and residents' farming experience with many non-timber forest products, medicinal plants, and spice plants. It also expressed a wish to connect Thai Nguyen's raw material area with neighboring raw material areas such as Lang Son, Cao Bang, and other provinces in the midland and northern mountainous region in order to form a stable supply area for deep processing, helping raise residents' incomes and achieve the locality's green growth goal.

Representative of Vietnam Staraniseed Cassia Manufacturing and Exporting Joint Stock Company speaking at the working session

At the working session, VINASAMEX proposed that Thai Nguyen Provincial People's Committee and relevant departments and sectors pay attention to supporting the survey, assessment, and development orientation for the medicinal herb, cinnamon, star anise, and spice raw material area; building a production - purchasing - preliminary processing - processing - export linkage model; supporting technical training, organic certification, growing area codes, production logbook systems, traceability, and the application of digital transformation in raw material area management; and supporting research on investment locations for deep processing facilities.

Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Loan speaks at the working session

Speaking at the working session, Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Loan highly appreciated and welcomed VINASAMEX's survey and wish to cooperate with Thai Nguyen Province in developing the cinnamon and star anise raw material area. Based on the Company's proposals, she assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to act as the focal point, coordinating with the Company to survey factory construction locations in a number of communes in the northern region of the province; assess the potential for raw material area development; and step up communication and guidance to help residents meet technical standards for cinnamon and star anise products and regulations on the granting of growing area codes. At the same time, the Department is responsible for guiding procedures and creating favorable conditions for the Company to complete its dossier proposing the investment policy for the project after the survey process is completed. She also requested that departments, sectors, and the Company maintain close exchange and coordination, and continue to hold working sessions to review the progress of implementing assigned tasks, ensuring the project is carried out according to plan.