(Anova) - Farmers in outlying districts of the nation’s commerical hub are shifting to some non-traditional and unusual vocations, opting for the increased incomes they offer compared to rice farming.

In Cu Chi District, raising dairy cows has become a major occupation among farmers and this has created demand for other work including milking, grass cultivation, and the harvesting of grass.

The district’s Tan Thanh Dong Commune has all 1,221 households raising dairy cows.

Farmers say that turnover from growing grass is four or five times higher than growing rice.

Hundreds of households in the district have turned to breeding crocodiles and the reptile farms have created jobs for nearly 400 rural labourers.

Nguyen Minh Toan, director of the Hoa Ca Crocodile Company, says the company has helped local workers learn and earn from the new work of making products from crocodile skin.

The company has trained and recruited more than 70 young workers and is providing many other kinds of work related to making crocodile skin products, he says.

Animal husbandry has taken a diverse turn in some outlying districts with some farmers breeding weasels, porcupines, wild boars, mountainous lizards and geckos.

Insect breeding has also become an income generating activity for hundreds of farmers who are raising crickets and some kind of worms, like earthworms.

33-year-old Nguyen Thai Binh, has earned billions of dong from raising earthworms to be used as bait and food for fish and shrimp.

Also, despite the influx of new trades, traditional vocations, such as salt making and bamboo weaving continue to be the mainstay for most farmers in the city’s outlying districts.

(Source: Viet Nam News)