Processing turmeric - a "money-making side job"

(Baonghean) - Being both a diligent civil servant and a dynamic business thinker, Mr. Nguyen Van Long chose the profession of processing turmeric starch to create more income for his family and to send his children to school. Although it is a part-time job, as Mr. Long said, it "makes a lot of money" compared to the monthly salary he receives.

As soon as you enter the alley of Mr. Nguyen Van Long’s house (Residential Group 16, Hung Loc, Vinh City), which is also a “factory” for processing turmeric starch, you can feel the strong aroma of fresh turmeric in the air. The sturdy two-story house has turmeric piled up in every corner. The first floor is mainly for storing fresh raw materials, the upper floor is used to dry and heat filtered turmeric starch.

Turmeric is washed before being ground.

From a veteran who moved to work at the Provincial Association for the Blind, Mr. Long discussed with his wife about finding a part-time job to improve the family's economy. Because both of them worked in a state agency, they did not have time, so they had to think about choosing a "side job" that could be done at night or on holidays so as not to affect their work. Realizing the advantages of producing turmeric starch, and that it was a job that was quite suitable for the couple's time requirements, in 2010, Mr. Long decided to choose to process turmeric starch, both to work steadily, create jobs for some workers, and earn extra money.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Vy, wife of Mr. Nguyen Van Long, is filtering turmeric starch.

In the early days of his career, he and his wife took turns looking for sources of raw materials, not only in their hometown of Thanh Chuong but also in mountainous areas such as Tuong Duong, Ky Son, etc. And almost every day, he and his wife worked until midnight to find the most optimal method to produce products that met their requirements. After a period of stable production, he no longer had to go out to buy raw materials, but familiar sources delivered the goods to his home. He only had to check the quality of the goods.

Turmeric starch needs to be dried in a cool place, away from ultraviolet rays that reduce quality.

Mr. Long said that he mainly produces two types of starch: yellow turmeric and black turmeric. The process of producing turmeric starch is not complicated but requires perseverance and hard work. After being purchased, the turmeric is washed thoroughly with water many times and then put into a blender with water. The mixture after being ground is pressed to get the juice and discard the pulp. Turmeric is a root that has a lot of essential oils, so to get the starch from this root, it is necessary to remove all the essential oils from the mixture. This is the step that requires a lot of time and perseverance from the producer.

To filter the turmeric essence, many basins of water are needed, so in the yard of several dozen square meters, there are rows of basins arranged neatly and in a certain order. The mixture of ground turmeric water after removing the residue is divided equally into the basins and left to settle for 3 to 4 hours. Each batch is divided equally into 5 to 7 basins to wait for settling. When enough time has passed, the starch has settled firmly at the bottom of the basin, the water floating on top is poured away. Then water is added again, stirred well and left to settle again. The process is repeated about 10 times, changing the water, until the powder settles, the water on top is clear without even a little bit of turmeric yellow color to meet the requirements.

Turmeric starch has been dried 80%.

It takes 3 to 4 days to settle a batch of powder. The final settling, after draining all the water, takes out the starch and dries it in the shade, or if drying indoors, uses an electric fan to continuously fan it until it is completely dry. This process takes dozens of days. It is especially important to note that turmeric powder should not be dried directly under sunlight, because doing so will reduce the micronutrients of the powder due to the effects of ultraviolet rays.

Currently, the market demand for turmeric starch is increasing due to the many positive effects of turmeric on health. Therefore, Mr. Nguyen Van Long said that although the price of 1kg of turmeric starch is not cheap, the consumption is always maintained stably, bringing his family a good income every year. In addition, his production facility also creates jobs for many local workers and some seasonal workers who are university and college students who want to work extra. And to maintain long-term production and business, Mr. Nguyen Van Long has also registered his business, gradually building a brand for the products he makes.

Hoai Thu