Following media reports highlighting irregularities and a directive from the provincial People’s Committee, Mr. Nguyen Hoai Tam, Head of the Kon Tum Agricultural Sub-Department, has signed an official notice suspending the use of a growing area code previously issued to Ngoc Linh Kon Tum Ginseng Wine JSC.
The move comes amid growing controversy surrounding the issuance of a ginseng cultivation code to the company. In response to press scrutiny, the Kon Tum Provincial People’s Committee ordered a full investigation.
An inspection team from the provincial agriculture department was formed to conduct a post-issuance review of the plantation code granted to the company for Ngoc Linh ginseng.
The inspection revealed that the company had failed to provide documentation verifying the origin of its Ngoc Linh ginseng plant stock, and had not submitted records confirming the circulation approval of the plant variety. Although the company later presented documents claiming to verify the origin and submitted a self-declared circulation certificate, inspectors found that the digital link to this information on the official website of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection was inactive and inaccessible.
Out of nine evaluation criteria, the company failed to meet two. These included the absence of documentation proving the plant origin in the application for the plantation code, and the lack of a list of production staff who had undergone mandatory food safety training and periodic health checks.
Based on these findings, the inspection team recommended the immediate suspension of the plantation code previously granted to the company.
The incident marks a series of abrupt reversals by the Kon Tum Agricultural Sub-Department within just one month. Initially, the plantation code was denied due to non-compliance. It was later issued under contentious conditions, including an implausibly high projected yield from just 2.1 hectares—figures that raised red flags among experts and the public alike. Moreover, the field inspection that led to the code approval reportedly did not involve local authorities. Now, the code has been officially suspended.
Despite repeated attempts, reporters have been unable to reach the leadership of the Kon Tum Agricultural Sub-Department for comment on the inconsistent and opaque process.
