Dong Dan turmeric starch aims for 4-star OCOP product

With the desire to somehow increase the value of turmeric, which her family and local people have only known for generations to grow and sell at low and unstable prices. Therefore, Ms. Le Thi Le Tham, Bac Ruong commune, Tanh Linh district, boldly started a business to invest in machinery and equipment to produce and process turmeric starch to replace the traditional manual method.

Thanks to that, Dong Dan turmeric starch product produced by Ms. Tham has just been recognized by the People's Committee of Tanh Linh district as a 3-star OCOP product at the district level.

We went to Bac Ruong commune and asked about the situation of red turmeric cultivation of the people here, everyone was excited. Ms. Nguyen Thi Bon in village 2, Bac Ruong commune excitedly said: For many years, my fellow villagers and I have been growing red turmeric mainly to sell the tubers, but the price is unstable, sometimes the price is low but we have to sell because the turmeric tubers cannot be kept for a long time, so the growers are not interested in turmeric. However, since the Dong Dan turmeric starch processing facility was established, my fellow villagers and I have expanded the area and invested more in red turmeric. The output is all purchased by Dong Dan turmeric starch facility at a stable price. The villagers are very confident in growing red turmeric.

With the dedicated teaching of making turmeric powder from her family members, in 2018, Ms. Le Thi Le Tham started a business producing and processing Dong Dan turmeric starch. She invested more than 300 million VND to build a factory and equip it with washing, grinding, squeezing, filtering, and drying machines in a closed room to ensure that the nutrients in the turmeric starch are retained. Thanks to the supporting machinery and equipment in the production and processing of turmeric starch, Ms. Tham has cooperated with about 20 households in Bac Ruong, Nghi Duc and Huy Khiem communes to grow red turmeric with a harvest of 20 - 30 tons per year and buy at the market price of 5,000 - 6,000 VND/kg of fresh turmeric. Ms. Le Thi Le Tham, owner of Dong Dan turmeric starch production and processing facility, shared that she chose red turmeric to process into turmeric starch because of its high curcumin content, which is both a pharmaceutical and a cosmetic product that is good for human health. About 30 kg of fresh turmeric can be processed into 1 kg of dry turmeric starch, which costs about 400,000 - 450,000 VND. Her Dong Dan turmeric starch startup project won third prize at the 2020 Binh Thuan Province Women's Startup Competition. Recently, her Dong Dan turmeric starch product was recognized by the People's Committee of Tanh Linh district as meeting the 3-star OCOP standard at the district level. This is the motivation for Ms. Tham to aim for a higher goal of achieving 4 stars and 5 stars.

With her youth and enthusiasm, Ms. Tham has a passion for bringing local specialties far and wide. Through promotion on e-commerce platforms and social networking sites, Dong Dan turmeric starch products have reached many domestic customers. Not only that, this woman is currently continuing to strive to have Dong Dan turmeric starch products recognized as 4 stars. At the same time, she is implementing a second startup project on tapioca starch with the expectation of consuming agricultural products, creating jobs as well as increasing the value of processed products for potential local advantages.

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