In 1995, West Virginia ginseng roots sold for just over $9 millon, making ginseng the state's No.2 cash crop. All ginseng sales must be registered through the state Division of Forestry. Ginseng is sold at varying stages of the marketing cycle. Buyers at all levels must be registered dealers of ginseng who keep records of purchases, amounts, dates, and other data. Nearly 10,000 diggers sell 18,000 pounds of West Virginia ginseng annually to more than 80 registered dealers, either on a one-to-one basis or at auctions. More volume needed
"With the demand increasing from China for West Virginia woods-grown, wildsimulated, and wild ginseng, Mountain State growers stand to reap great dollars from this crop," Scott said. "Dave and I have been working with the West Virginia Fur and Root Association and their auction sales. Last spring, the price of dried ginseng was $505 per pound for wild 'sang.' By December 1996, prices 4
ranged between $352 and $400 per pound. The major problem is volume. We need more volume to meet the demand," Scott declared. The association's ginseng auction sales are bonded, and a 7 percent commission is deducted for sale costs. The sales are held on weekends in January, March, September, and December at the Nicholas County Veterans Memorial Park (County Fairgrounds) near the Nicholas County High School on U.S. 19 at Summersville. R. D. (Raymond) Dishner of Rock, president of the approximately 900-member association, noted that "buyers can fly into Summersville now and they're 20 minutes from the auction." Numerous dealers from across the United States attend. "Forty-five percent of the ginseng I buy as a dealer is green," Dishner lamented. The diggers want their money. I tell them to dry it and then come back to see me and I can pay them more. Natural drying takes several weeks. They insist they need the money
right away, often for school clothes for their children." Scott, Cooke, and Andy Hankins, a colleague from Virginia, spent most of July in China on a ginseng studyresearch-business tour sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. Included were talks at the Jilin Ginseng Group Company Ltd., the largest ginseng factory in the world. Jilin Province produces 82 percent of China's total ginseng harvest and exports ginseng worldwide. Following their discussions and examination of samples of West Virginia ginseng, Scott said, "Lui Chang Zhen, Jilin's board chairman and president, is eager to visit West Virginia and buy various types of ginseng roots." Scott and Cooke returned to West Virginia with the first U.S.-China Ginseng Research Agreements of Understanding. They believe "the time is excellent for investment in growing woods-grown or wildsimulated American ginseng for sale to the Chinese."
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Extension Vision: Winter 1 997