Earn extra income from peeling and slicing mangoes

The job of peeling and slicing mangoes to make dried mangoes and mango rice paper in Cam Lam district requires diligence, meticulousness and dexterity. This seasonal job has helped some workers earn extra income during the off-season.

Must be diligent, persistent, meticulous

Arriving at Khanh Vu dried mango factory (Dai Han street, Cam Duc town), we saw the factory workers busy peeling and slicing mangoes to make dried mangoes. Every month, the factory imports about 3 to 4 shipments, each shipment about 15 tons of mangoes of all kinds. The factory needs about 20 people to peel and slice these mangoes within 2 days, not letting the mangoes overripe. Therefore, in addition to the 8 existing workers, the factory also hires seasonal workers. While working and chatting, Ms. Tran Thi Anh Ngoc (born in 1977, Lam Son village, Cam Thanh Bac commune) said that doing this job requires diligence, meticulousness, diligence, perseverance and dexterity, so it is mostly done by women. “When I first started doing it, I also had difficulties. It looks simple, but to peel and cut quickly, you have to learn and do it a lot. Peeling and slicing continuously can cause pain and swelling in your hands; the mango sap causes itching and skin allergies. Therefore, when you first start doing it, you are slow, but you get used to it after a while,” Ms. Ngoc shared.

Peeling and slicing requires diligence and meticulousness, so it is mostly done by women.

After cutting off the stem, the mangoes will be peeled by workers. Skilled hands peel quickly to produce smooth mangoes. Then, the mangoes are sliced. The workers said that at first, slicing the mangoes with a straight knife resulted in unattractive slices. Later, they learned, researched and made a curved knife to cut beautiful mango slices. In addition, it also requires the worker's hand to maintain balance when holding the mango... Ms. Le Thi Hong (born in 1984, Trung Hiep 2 village, Cam Hiep Bac commune) said that in order for the mangoes to look smooth and beautiful after peeling, the peeling lines must be continuous. During the slicing process, overripe or spoiled mango pieces will be removed. Mangoes for drying must be just ripe enough, soft to the touch but still have a certain hardness. After the mangoes are peeled and sliced, they are washed, rinsed, mixed with sugar to absorb, and then placed on the drying rack.

At the Cam Lam mango rice paper production workshop of Mango Cat Tien Company Limited, workers peel ripe mangoes to make mango rice paper. Ms. Le Thi Thu Thuy (born in 1970, Bac Vinh village, Cam Hai Tay commune) said that the mangoes used to make mango rice paper are mainly Canh Nong mangoes, a few use Australian and Taiwanese mangoes. When ripe, Canh Nong mangoes have softer skins that are easier to peel than other types of mangoes. Workers use a knife to cut the stem, then use a knife to pull the skin along the body of the mango. For Australian and Taiwanese mangoes, because the skin is thicker, peeling takes longer and must be sliced before blending. After that, the mangoes are cooked and then used to make rice paper. The job also requires workers to be diligent and meticulous.

Female workers pack mango rice paper.

Earn extra income during off-season farming

According to Ms. Ngoc, the job of peeling and slicing mangoes to make dried mangoes is calculated by product at 1,600 VND/kg; on average, she cuts about 300kg of mangoes a day, earning about 480,000 VND. This job brings in an income of 300,000 to 500,000 VND/day/person, if peeling faster, it can earn 700,000 to 800,000 VND/day. However, because it is seasonal work, it is not regular, only a few days a month. On the remaining days, the factory workers do other jobs, such as: putting mangoes on the tray to dry, taking goods from the tray down after drying, drying mangoes in a cold room, collecting mangoes, packaging... with an income of 4 to 5 million VND/person/month. Ms. Hong said that when mangoes are in season, the job of peeling mangoes is more, about 8 to 9 days/month. If there are a lot of mangoes, she peels an average of 300 to 400 kg per day. “Working near home, in the cool air, and with flexible hours, I have been doing this job for 2 years. Besides peeling mangoes, I also do other jobs in the workshop,” Ms. Hong said.

Mr. Tran Le Hoa (born in 1994), Director of Mango Cat Tien Company Limited, said: “Every month, the factory imports about 100 tons of mangoes to make cakes. Mango peeling work is calculated by the day with a price of 220,000 to 250,000 VND/day. In addition to local workers, the factory also has to hire 10 seasonal workers. During the off-season, workers can earn extra income from this job.”

CHAU TUONG

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