More San Chi grow fruit tree to earn large income

The incomes of the San Chi come mainly from growing crops on steep hillsides. They grow rice, corn, and cassava intercropped with beans, sweet potatoes, and gourds. They also raise some cattle and poultry, and produce handicraft products for personal use and sale.

Deputy Director of the Institute of Family and Genders, Dang Thi Hoa, says: “On less steep hillsides, they grow two wet rice crops a year. In some places, they grow litchi and medicinal herbs. Some households with large farms raise pigs and chickens and have a large income. The national market economy has affected the San Chi to a certain extent. They produce goods for trading.”

In recent years, the San Chi have begun to grow more fruit trees. The San Chi in Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang province, have boosted their incomes by growing litchi for the domestic market and export. They have also applied modern farming techniques to increase quality and quantity.

Litchi in Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang province

Ms. Hoa again: “The San Chi are experienced in growing and using medicinal herbs. It brings them a good income. They also collect herbs in the forest, process them into herbal medicines, and export them to China and Taiwan. The San Chi in Quang Ninh grow medicinal herbs like Morinda officinalis.”

The San Chi prefer to use natural medicines like medicinal herbs. Doctor Hoa said the San Chi use around 200 plants to make medicines. “Recently they have begun to grow medicinal plants in the forest. The San Chi in Son Dong district, Bac Giang province, are earning higher income from medical herbs. They are famous for a kind of unguent made from more than a hundred plants which helps women boost their immune system.”