Designs for Small-Scale Postharvest Washing of Ginger/Turmeric Rhizomes

By Jacob Muller, Daniel Crawford, Raúl Cabezón, Harrison Meekins, Maria Paz Kinslow, Wanda Laughlin, Robert Hochmuth, and Paul Fisher

Manually washing the rhizomes of ginger and turmeric is a labor-intensive process that adds significantly to the cost of final harvested products. Commercially available automatic cleaning equipment makes the postharvest process easier, but only at a price and scale that would benefit large-scale operations. This publication describes tips for harvest and presents designs of cleaning equipment that are easy for a small farmer to build and maintain while reducing labor costs.

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