Vietnam owns a rare tuber that is hard to find in the world, only less than 10 countries can grow it.

Although sold in abundance in markets in Vietnam, this is a rare commodity in the world.

Turmeric is a familiar spice of Vietnamese people and is easily found in markets and supermarkets. As a perennial herb, turmeric can reach a height of 1 meter, has high branches, is orange-yellow in color, cylindrical in shape, and has aromatic rhizomes.

Turmeric is a perennial herb. (Illustration).

Turmeric originates from India, and although it is popular in Vietnam, it is a rare spice that is hard to find in the world , only found in some tropical countries such as: India, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Nilgeria.

In Vietnam, turmeric is also a crop found in many places, from coastal plains to high mountains over 1500m, and even grows wild in many places in fields and swidden fields.
Vietnam is one of the countries with the largest turmeric growing area in the world, with more than 50,000 hectares (as of 2021).

Turmeric is grown mainly in the Central and Central Highlands provinces, such as Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Dak Nong. Vietnamese turmeric has good quality, high curcumin content, from 3-5%.

Besides its use as a spice, turmeric can also treat many symptoms such as: Antibacterial, preventing colon cancer, liver cancer, treating stomach pain, abdominal pain.

According to statistics from the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA), exports of ginger, turmeric and some other spices in the first 9 months of the year brought in 40.8 million USD with 30,476 tons, a sharp increase of 294% over the same period in 2022. The major import markets of this group of goods are China with 9,796 tons, an increase of 802% over the same period in 2022. Next is Bangladesh with 5,844 tons, an increase of 100%. India ranked 3rd with 3,722 tons, an increase of 48.7% and notably, Laos imported 2,927 tons of ginger, turmeric and spices from our country, an increase of 11,608% over the same period in 2022.

In the whole year of 2022, exports of this group of products earned more than 23.1 million USD.

Source: Statistics from VPA

Turmeric starch is one of the key products of Vietnam's food processing industry.

According to the General Department of Customs, Vietnam's turmeric starch export turnover reached 9.8 million USD in the first 9 months of 2023, up 15% over the same period in 2022. Vietnam's main export markets are the US, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and European countries.

According to the partners, Vietnamese turmeric starch has a beautiful color, pleasant aroma, no bitter taste of turmeric, no impurities and preservatives. It retains the curcumin content in turmeric, an active ingredient with many benefits for health and beauty. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, digestive support, liver protection, immune system enhancement, memory improvement and skin whitening properties.

Vietnamese turmeric starch has beautiful color and pleasant aroma. (Illustration photo).

Currently, Vietnam has 500,000 hectares of spice crops, with about 400 enterprises and hundreds of thousands of small-scale farmers participating in the production and export of this product. At the same time, Vietnam is also one of the largest spice producing and exporting countries in the world. However, Vietnam's spice crops have only exploited about 40-50% of their potential, and there is still a lot of room for the development of Vietnam's spice industry.

It is expected that the total export turnover of Vietnam's spices by 2025 could reach about 2 billion USD, with an export volume of about 500,000 tons.