Quang Nam (VNS/VNA) -Eight years ago, Tra Linh commune suffered extreme poverty, with many localsunable to buy or build decent homes.

Thanks to Ngoc Linh ginseng, farmers have seenprofits explode and the area is now covered with new residential developments.

By the end of last year, members of thecommune’s Sedang ethnic minority had saved hundreds of billions of VND.

Tak Lang village is a hub for growing Ngoc Linhginseng. Several years ago, it took half a day to travel from the centre of NamTra My district to the village. Now, wide roads have been built.

Local residents consider Tak Lang village to bethe first billionaire village of the Sedang people, Thanh Nien newspaperreports.

Ho Van Du is a village patriarch in Tra Linh commune.Three years ago, local residents were surprised when he spent 200 million VND (8,600USD) to build a toilet.

“At first, they did not believe it, because fewpeople had big houses in the village at that time, so did not think about goodtoilets. But for me, it’s a normal price,” he said.

Sedang people wanting to build proper houses hadto pay more, because it cost a lot to transport construction materials up themountain.

At that time, it took three hours to bring a bagof cement from the centre of the commune to the village. Now, many new roadshave been built, thus transport costs have dropped.

“Local residents suffered for many generations,but now thanks to the forest, their offspring can enjoy what their forefathersonly dreamed of,” said Du.

“Young people can see great profits from NgocLinh ginseng, thus they will maintain and develop it,” he said.

Ho Van Hinh’s house is considered the biggest inthe area and it cost more than 10 billion VND (434,700 USD).

Hinh exchanged more than 100 kilogrammes of NgocLinh ginseng to build the house.

“Exchanging ginseng for a house is normal here.When they finish the building, I give them ginseng, and they convert it intocash,” he said.

Ho Van The, Chairman of the Tra Linh CommunePeople’s Committee, happily said that the commune was changing day by day. Buthouses and automobiles are not all.

“The biggest property of local residents is theextensive ginseng fields on Ngoc Linh Mountain,” said The.

He said that Ngoc Linh ginseng had become anational product. People planting ginseng also cannot believe that one day theycan enrich themselves with the plant.

Nearly 10 years ago, Ngoc Linh ginseng leaveswere even used them as pig food. Now they cost more than 10 million VND (430USD) per kilo.

Dried leaves are much more expensive, at about 35-40million VND (1,500-1,700 USD) per kilo.-VNS/VNA