Ms. Huynh Thi Kim Nga (left cover) introduces jackfruit rice paper products to consumers.
At first, Ms. Kim Nga felt “regretful” when seeing a large amount of shredded jackfruit meat being discarded in processing facilities. With the knowledge of an agricultural engineer, she knew that jackfruit by-products still had a lot of untapped value.
In 2022, Ms. Nga began experimenting with making rice paper from jackfruit. She used the small, shredded jackfruit flesh after separating the segments to mix with sticky rice flour, sesame, sugar... Through many processing stages, she created a crispy, fragrant rice paper product with the natural sweetness of jackfruit. The delicious, unique product was quickly accepted by the market. Also in 2022, the jackfruit rice paper was recognized by the authorities of Hau Giang province (old) as meeting 3-star OCOP standards.
The initial success gave her the confidence to develop more products such as crab crackers, eel crackers, etc. However, she still has a passion for wasted by-products, especially jackfruit seeds - a nutritious seed. She shared: "I feel so sorry for only taking the segments from a big jackfruit and throwing away the seeds. Because jackfruit seeds are rich in nutrients, it is very beneficial to use them."
From that thought, she researched jackfruit seed milk. Jackfruit seeds are washed, steamed, pureed and cooked completely naturally, without preservatives. After many trials, in 2024, she officially launched jackfruit seed milk, jackfruit flan, and freeze-dried jackfruit seed yogurt - products that combine jackfruit seed essence and fragrant jackfruit meat. In the same year, jackfruit seed milk and freeze-dried jackfruit seed yogurt continued to be recognized as meeting 3-star OCOP standards.
Ms. Nga confided: “Using jackfruit by-products, I have created 3 products that meet 3-star OCOP standards. As for the peel, jackfruit fiber or jackfruit seed residue after grinding to extract the pulp, I use it as feed for livestock and poultry, both saving costs and making the most of the raw materials from jackfruit.”
By making full use of jackfruit by-products, she has built a circular production chain, increasing the value of agricultural products and reducing waste to the environment. With a variety of jackfruit products, each year, Ms. Nga earns a profit of more than 100 million VND.
Not only enriching herself, in 2024, she established Chau Anh Jackfruit Rice Paper Facility, creating regular jobs for many local women. Ms. Mai Hong Tham said: “I have been working with Ms. Nga for nearly two years now. In the morning, after taking my children to school, I go to the facility to work. Income is calculated by product, on average I earn more than 200,000 VND per day.”
In 2024, her project “Producing jackfruit seed milk - enhancing the value of jackfruit” won first prize in the Startup and Innovation Competition among farmers. This is not only a professional award, but also a comprehensive recognition of her research, testing and innovation process in utilizing jackfruit seeds, jackfruit fiber, shredded jackfruit... to build a green - circular by-product processing model.
Currently, Ms. Nga continues to research more jackfruit products, develop environmentally friendly packaging, and standardize the production process in a modern direction. At the same time, she invested in a dryer to make pellet feed for livestock from jackfruit seed residue... Her goal is to expand the market, register more OCOP products, and perfect the circular economic model from jackfruit, so that every part of the agricultural product has value.
Article and photos: CAO OANH
Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/bien-phu-pham-mit-thanh-thuong-pham-co-gia-tri-a195076.html
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