Holy basil trees have been grown in Dong Thinh Hamlet, Tu Thinh Commune since 2000. Realising many vacant land areas in the locality, Son Thinh Agriculture and Forestry Cooperative has developed the model of growing and producing holy basil essential oil.

Ms. Bui Thi Thuy, Director of Son Thinh Agriculture and Forestry Cooperative inspecting the quality of holy basil trees before harvesting.

The holy basil trees will be harvested after 6 months and they can be harvested 3 times per year during 4 - 5 years. The average yield is 10 tonnes per litter per hectare. At present, 8 hectares of holy basil in the cooperative are being harvested.

From available raw materials, the cooperative has invested in a pot for distillation of holy basil essential oil. On average, 1 tonne of raw materials can get from 3.5 - 4 liters of essential oil, with the selling price of VND2.1 million per liter. The turnover per hectare is estimated at VND115 - VND135 million per year.

The cooperative's holy basil essential oil product has been distributed to pharmaceutical companies and essential oil business facilities both inside and outside the province such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Vinh Phuc.

The cooperative is completing a dossier requesting the Provincial People's Committee recognition of its holy basil essential oil product as the OCOP product meeting three-star standards.