ABSTRACT
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) belong to Zingiberaceae family. They are known for their pungent and aromatic flavor and for their medicinal properties. Both crops are often grown by smallholders in mountain areas on rich former forest soils without the need for fertilizers and pesticides. They can be consumed fresh or dried. Both of them are major cash crops in Mizoram. Given the lack of proper postharvest processing and storage, a significant amount of the crop perishes, and the remainder is sold in the local market at very low price. The traditional sun drying is not effective due to insufficient availability of sunshine. Therefore, a complete postharvest processing package consisting of a rotary drum washer, a slicing unit, a dryer, and a grinder was developed and implemented by Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) in collaboration with a local NGO Community Development Action and Reflection (CDAR). Freshly harvested ginger/turmeric is first washed, sliced, and then dried in a cabinet dryer. Proper washing of ginger/turmeric is essential for the quality of the dried product as fresh rhizomes coming from the field are covered with mud. The mud is difficult to remove by hand wash due to the critical shape of the rhizomes. Dried product is ground into a fine powder and stored.
The project resulted in the following achievements:
Establishment of two centers for postharvest processing and research.
Processing technology for ginger and turmeric transferred (two patents and two copyrights registered).
Training of rural youths on ginger/turmeric processing.
Employment of local youths.
Enhancement of farmers’ economy.
